190 



Report of the Meteorological Committee. [Jan. 20, 



to examine and to take stock of all the instruments and materials for 

 work existing in the Office. 



Inquiry was made into the actual condition and employment of all 

 instruments outstanding on the books, whereby several were recovered, 

 and several proved to be non-existent. Since 1867 no instruments have 

 been supplied, except for the public service. 



The books in the Office, which have been kept since 1854, enable us 

 to trace the history and corrections of every instrument which has ever 

 been purchased. 



The entire store of documents in the Office was carefully examined by 

 Capt. Toynbee ; those that were worthless were set aside, and in the 

 remainder the quality of each element which they contained was marked. 



The Office then resumed the supply of instruments to observers at sea, 

 and reorganized the agencies at certain ports. These agencies are paid 

 according to results. The outcome of these operations is shown in the 

 Annual Reports. 



Among the most important benefits to the science attributable to the 

 action of the Committee has been the great improvement in the quality 

 of the logs sent in, owing to the care taken to select observers. 



The following figures show the total number of logs, and the number 

 of first-class logs, classed " excellent" which have been received each year 

 from the Mercantile Marine since the management of the Office has been 

 under the Meteorological Committee. 





Total No. 



No. of 



%of 





Total No. 



No. of 



%of 



Year. 



of Logs 



Excellent 



Excellent 



Year. 



of Logs 



Excellent 



Excellent 





received. 



Logs. 



Logs. 





received. 



Logs. 



Logs. 



1867. 



21 



7 



33 



1871. 



150 



72 



48 



1868. 



50 



10 



20 



1872. 



110 



64 



58 



1869. 



67 



21 



31 



1873. 



92 



52 



57 



1870. 



81 



41 



51 



1874. 



88 



56 



64 



The marked improvement shown in the last few years is doubtless 

 entirely due to a thoroughly systematic supervision by Captain Toynbee 

 of all logs received. In every case where improvement is considered 

 necessary, and reasonably practicable, the captain responsible for the log- 

 has been communicated with, and in many cases induced to call at the 

 Office for a personal interview. 



The high percentage of excellent logs in recent years is in no way to 

 be attributed to a lower standard of excellence being used; on the 

 contrary, the standard of excellence may be considered to have increased 

 rather than to have diminished. 



It seems that greater weight should be attached to the relative values 

 above, from the fact that the classification has been carried out by the 



