Meteorological Observations at Sea. 85 



of the United States, the correspondence between ihe go- 

 vernments was continued, and finally each nation was invited 

 to send an officer to hold a conference at Brussels on a given 

 day. 



" And that the system of proposed observation and of com- 

 bined action might become immediately available, and be 

 extended to its widest possible field of operation, it was de- 

 termined to adapt the standard of the observations to be 

 made to the capabilities of the instruments now in general 

 use in the respective naval services, but with the precaution 

 of having all these instruments brought under the surveil- 

 lance of parties duly appointed to examine them and deter- 

 mine their errors ; as this alone would render the observa- 

 tions comparable with each other through the medium of 

 their respective standards. 



" The conference opened its proceedings at Brussels on the 

 23d of August 1853, in the residence of M. Piercot, the Mini- 

 ster of the Interior, to whom the thanks of the conference 

 are especially due. 



" M. Quetelet was unanimously elected president. 



" Before entering upon any discussion, it was the desire of 

 all the members of the conference that it should be clearly 

 understood, that, in taking part in the proceedings of the 

 meeting, they did not in any degree consider themselves as 

 committing their respective governments to any particular 

 course of action, having no authority whatever to pledge 

 their country in any way to these proceedings. 



{i The objects of the meeting having been explained by 

 Lieutenant Maury,* the conference expressed its thanks to 

 that officer for the enlightened zeal and earnestness he had 

 displayed in the important and useful work which forms the 

 subject of the deliberations of the conference. 



" In concerting a plan of uniform observation, in which all 

 nations might be engaged, the most obvious difficulty which 

 arose was from the variety of scales in use in different coun- 

 tries. It is much to be desired that this inconvenience 

 should be removed ; but it was a subject upon which the 

 conference, after mature deliberation, determined not to re- 



* See the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Conference. 



