68 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Feb. 



To the Secretary to the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 



Sir, — In reply to your letter No. 775 dated the 26th ultimo, I have 

 the honor to forward, for the information of the Asiatic Society, 

 copies of letters from Babu Gopeenautha Sen, the Officiating 

 Superintendent of the Observatory, as per margin, regarding the 



meteorological observations taken at this 

 No. 48, dated 12th instant. ca *i • i t. e +-u t *. j ■ e 



No. 46, dated 3rd instant. offlce on the m § ht of the lst and morning of 



the 2nd November, during the prevalence 

 of the cyclone which passed over the metropolis. 



2. Nobody can regret more than I do, the semblance of imper- 

 fections in important observations of this nature at such a critical 

 time. The Officiating Superintendent of the Observatory, Babu 

 Gopeenatha Sen, is very positive as to the fact of the Barometric 

 pressure having been observed hourly, from midnight of the lst until 

 daylight of the 2nd November. The ten minute observations which 

 had been commenced at the first indications of the storm, were neces- 

 sarily stopped after Oh. 20m. on the 2nd, but from all the evidence I 

 can collect, I fear that, owing to the fury of the storm, and the absence 

 of the officer in charge, who does not reside in the premises, and who 

 failed to appreciate the importance of the occasion or to shew any 

 zeal and energy in the cause, even the hourly observations cannot 

 implicitly be relied on between the hours noted, on the morning in 

 question ; dependent as they are on the ipse dixit of a very subordinate 

 native observer. 



3. This may be partly attributed to the exposed position of our 

 Meteorological shed, where the Barometer and Thermometers are fixed. 

 I was not present at Calcutta myself, but the Deputy Surveyor Gene- 

 ral, who was then in charge of my office, considers that it was almost 

 impracticable for a native observer to withstand the cyclone during 

 those hours, or at all events to read off the observations with sufficient 

 accuracy or confidence, to warrant the belief in their absolute correct- 

 ness. Had the duties been under competent European supervision, 

 I dare say the result would have been different. It is generally sup- 

 posed that we have an "observatory" in Calcutta : this popular error 

 has been of long standing. In point of fact, we have no observatory ! 

 at all, but merely prosecute such observations at the Surveyor Gene- ' 



