144 Co-opera tion of differ en t Na tions 



10th, In addition to the quartzose grains in the soundings, 

 fragments of felspar and hornblende (recognisable under the 

 microscope by their cleavage planes and colour) are found. 

 The quartz, however, predominates, its grains being sharp 

 and angular in the deep soundings, and often rounded or even 

 polished in the shallower ones. 



The Reply of the President and Council of the Royal Society, 

 to a Letter addressed to them by the Secretary of State 

 for Foreign Affairs, on the subject of the co-operation of 

 different Nations in Meteorological Observations. 



Somerset House, 10th May 1852. 



Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter 

 of March the 4th, transmitting, by direction of the Earl of Malmes- 

 bury, several documents received from foreign Governments in reply 

 to a proposal made to them by Her Majesty's Government, for their 

 co-operation in establishing a uniform system of recording meteoro- 

 logical observations, and requesting the opinion of the President and 

 Council of the Royal Society in reference to a proposition which has 

 been made by the Government of the United States, respecting the 

 manner in which the proposed co-operation should be carried out. 



Having submitted your letter, with its enclosures, to the President 

 and Council of the Royal Society, I am directed to convey to you the 

 following reply. 



With reference to the subject of well-directed and systematically 

 conducted meteorological observations generally, and to the encou- 

 ragement and support to be given to them by the Governments of 

 different countries, the President and Council are of opinion that 

 they are highly deserving of much consideration, not only for their 

 scientific value, but also on account of the important bearing which 

 correct climatological knowledge has on the welfare and material 

 interests of the peop^ of every country. 



With reference to the proposal for the establishment of a uniform 

 plan in respect to instruments and modes of observation, the Presi- 

 dent and Council are not of opinion that any practical advantage is 

 likely to be obtained by pressing such a proposition in the present 

 state of meteorological science. Most of the principal Governments 

 of the European Continent, as Russia, Prussia, Austria. Bavaria, and 

 Belgium, have already organised establishments for climatological re- 

 searches in their respective states, and have placed them under tho 



