Report of the Kew Committee. 



217 



of the Observatory, and certain preliminary swings made in the pre- 

 sence of both General Walker and Colonel Heaviside, R.E., which 

 sufficed to show that the apparatus had not undergone any material 

 changes since it left Kew in 1881. 



It was, however, found that the vacuum chamber had received such 

 structural damage in transit as to render it incapable of exhaustion to 

 a sufficiently high degree to make the observations comparable with 

 those previously made by Captains Basevi and Heaviside. It was 

 accordingly returned to the maker, Mr. Adie, of London, for thorough 

 repair, and has recently been again erected in its place, and found in 

 a very satisfactory condition, so that the required preliminary obser- 

 vations may now be re-commenced. 



By the kindness of Mr. W. H. Preece, F.R.S., the Committee were 

 favoured with the loan of a recording chronograph for use in register- 

 ing the coincidences. Experience proved that it was unnecessary, 

 and the apparatus has since been returned to the General Post Office. 



At the suggestion of Colonel Heaviside, photographs of the invaria- 

 ble pendulums were obtained on their removal from their cases after 

 travelling, in order that a memorandum might be preserved of their 

 figure and shape on their return to the Kew Observatory. 



V. Verification of Instruments. 



The following magnetic instruments have been purchased on com- 

 mission and their constants determined : — 



An Inclinometer for the Tokio University, Japan. 

 An Inclinometer for the Mauritius Observatory. 



1 Collimating Magnet for Professor F. Brioschi, Borne. 



2 Collimating Magnets and an Inclinometer for Professor 

 Naccori, Turin University, Italy. 



1 Magnet for declination and a pair of Inclinometer needles 

 for Lisbon Observatory. 



The total number of other instruments compared in the past year 



was as follows : — 



Air-meters 5 



Anemometers 3 



Aneroids 83 



Artificial Horizons 2 



Barometers, Marine 89 



,, Standard 4 



Station 26 



Compasses 2 



Carried forward -•->! 



