36 General Sabine— iVb^e on Meteorological Correspondence, [Mar. 8, 



find that the principal states of the European Continent have almost with- 

 out exception formed establishments for the collection and publication peri- 

 odically of the meteorology of their respective countries. The arrange- 

 ments consist usually of a central office, at which instruments and instruc- 

 tions are provided for a number of stations, greater or less, according to the 

 area which they represent ; at which stations observations are made and 

 transmitted to the central office, where the results of all are reduced, coor- 

 dinated, and published. The small extent of the area comprised by the 

 British Islands in comparison with the territories of many of the European 

 States may require fewer stations ; but in a matter now so generally at- 

 tended to and provided for, it seems scarcely fitting that our country should 

 be behind others. There is, moreover, a peculiarity in the meteorological 

 position of the British Islands in respect to Europe generally as its north- 

 western outpost, in consequence of which an especial duty appears to 

 devolve upon us. M. Matteucci, in a very recent publication, has already 

 made the important remark that extensive atmospheric disturbances which 

 first invade Ireland and England are those which, in winter more especially, 

 extend to and pass the Alps (although somewhat retarded by them), and 

 spread over Italy ; and that storms so telegraphed from England have 

 actually reached Italy, and have been found to correspond with the accounts 

 subsequently received from Italian Mediterranean Ports. 



"A few stations — say six, distributed at nearly equal distances in a meri- 

 dional direction from the south of England to the north of Scotland, fur- 

 nished with self-recording instruments supplied from and duly verified 

 at one of the stations regarded as a central station, and exhibiting a conti- 

 nuous record of the temperature, pressure, electric and hygrometric state 

 of the atmosphere, and of the force and direction of the wind — might per- 

 haps be sufficient to supply authoritative knowledge of those peculiarities 

 in the meteorology of our country which would be viewed as of the most 

 importance to other countries, and would at the same time form authentic 

 points of reference for the use of our own meteorologists. The scientific 

 progress of meteorology from this time forward requires indeed such con- 

 tinuous records — first, for the sake of the knowledge which they alone can 

 effectively supply, and, next, for comparison with the results of independent 

 observation not contmuous. The actual photograms or other mechanical 

 representations, transmitted weekly by post to the central station, would 

 constitute a lithographed page for each day in the year, comprehending 

 the phenomena at all the six stations, each separate curve admitting of 

 exact measurement from its own base-line, the precise value of which might 

 in every case be specified. 



" The President and Council suggest that the observatory of the Britisli 

 Association at Kew might with much propriety and public advantage be 

 adopted as the central meteorological station." 



It has been already shown, in the pearlier part of this communication. 



