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On the Annual Variation of the Atmospheric Pressure in 

 different parts of the Globe. By Professor H. W. Dove 

 of Berlin.* Communicated by Colonel Sabine. 



The establishment of meteorological stations in distant 

 parts of the globe had, generally speaking, for its immediate 

 object, so to complete the partial knowledge we already 

 possessed of the phenomena over a considerable portion of its 

 surface, as to enable us to take a general view of their course 

 over the whole globe. The result of those endeavours has 

 even exceeded what was hoped for, as besides the informa- 

 tion obtained respecting regions where our knowledge was 

 most defective, fresh light has been thrown on those with which 

 we had supposed ourselves already completely acquainted. 



Meteorology commenced with us by the study of European 

 phenomena, and its next principal extension was to pheno- 

 mena observed in the tropical parts of America. If what is 

 true of Europe were equally true of the temperate and cold 

 zones of the earth in all longitudes, and if tropical America 

 in like manner afforded a perfect example of the tropical 

 zone generally, it would be of little consequence where the 

 science of Meteorology had been first cultivated ; but this is 

 not the case, and a too hasty generalisation has led to the 

 neglect of important problems, while others less important 

 have been regarded as essential and placed in the foremost 

 rank. It was necessary that the science should be freed 

 from these youthful trammels, and this needful enfranchise- 

 ment has been effected by the Russian and by the English 

 system of observations. Russia has done her part in free- 

 ing the meteorology of the temperate and cold zones from 

 impressions derived exclusively from the limited European 

 type ; and England, which by its Indian stations had under- 

 taken for the torrid zone the same task of enlarging and rec- 

 tifying the views previously entertained, has besides, by its 

 African and Australian stations (Cape of Good Hope and 

 Hobarton), opened to us the southern hemisphere, and first 



* From the Introduction to the 3d vol. of the Magnetical and Meteorological 

 Observations at Hobarton, in Van Diemen's Island. 



