204 Report of the Meteorological Committee. [Jan. 20, 



from an outlying post, as Valencia or Sumburgh Head, is worth 

 to the continental meteorologists many times more than a report 

 from a continental station is to us. 



" The extension of our system westwards, were it possible, would 

 be of incalculable value ; but America and even Newfoundland are 

 too distant for us to reason with any degree of certainty on what 

 the changes taking place there may portend to us. 



"Reports from the Azores, if supported by others from Spain and 

 Portugal, would be of value; but they would require confirmation. 

 At least two simultaneous reports from independent stations in 

 that group of islands would be required, in order to afford means 

 for checking doubtful statements or errors in telegraphy. 

 " P. An increase of the staff of the Office. 



" To summarize. More information from existing stations, a large 

 extension of our area of observation, and a reinforcement of the 

 staff for weather study, are the chief requirements of our tele- 

 graphic system at present." 

 In the matter of the " Recommendations on the subject of "Weather 

 Telegraphy, Daily forecasts, and Storm- Warning, and upon observations 

 of Weather within or affecting the British Isles," made by the Committee 

 of Inquiry (1866), it may be said that the progress of this department of 

 meteorology since 1866 has been so considerable that the importance of 

 several of the Recommendations has been materially modified by recent 

 experience. The Office has carried out the recommendations in principle 

 as regards the development of the observing system, the issue of storm- 

 warnings, and the discontinuance of weather forecasts, and as to the 

 checking of the warnings. It has not, however, for reasons which will 

 be stated hereafter, published a series of maxims, nor has it been found 

 possible, with the present staff, to analyze strictly the principles on which 

 the issue of warnings, &c. has been carried out from day to day. 



The staff has been quite insufficient to cope with the serious discussion 

 of the weather charts which are daily accumulating. 



The Office has cooperated readily with the United States Signal Office 

 in its project for synchronous observations over the whole globe. 



III. Land Meteorology oe the British Islands. 



This branch of the Office has been carried out in accordance with the 

 plan sketched out in the letter from the President and Council of the 

 Royal Society to the Board of Trade of June 15, 1865, approved by the 

 Committee of Inquiry (1866), and sanctioned generally by the Treasury 

 in a letter to the Board of Trade, dated November 30, 1866. The num- 

 ber of stations originally proposed was six, with possibly two additional 

 points of observation, situated in the south-west and in the north-west 

 of Ireland respectively. The six stations specified were accepted and 

 have been in continual operation until now. The Treasury did not 



