Report of the Kew Committee. 



323 



following papers before the Aberdeen Meeting of the British Associa- 

 tion : — 



" On the Errors of first class Sextants, as determined from the 

 Records of the Verification Department at the Kew Observatory ; " 

 and "On the Behaviour of first class Watches whilst undergoing 

 Tests in the Rating Department of the Kew Observatory." 



At the request of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, the Kew 

 Committee have undertaken the purchase and trial of a set of 

 Magnetographs now in course of construction for the Falmouth 

 Observatory, on a new plan, the designs and specification for which 

 have been prepared by Mr. Whipple, as the Royal Society grant was 

 inadequate to provide for instruments of the ordinary Kew pattern. 



By the kindness of Captain Rung, of the Meteorological Institute, 

 Copenhagen, the Superintendent has been able to procure two spe- 

 cimens of his apparatus for whirling thermometers. These, with the 

 necessary thermometers, have been forwarded to Dr. Doberck, the 

 Government Astronomer at Hong Kong. 



Magnetic Disturbances. — By permission of the Committee, Mr. W. 

 Lant Carpenter has visited the Observatory for the purpose of 

 extracting certain magnetic information from the tabulations, in order 

 to assist Professor Balfour Stewart in his investigations on Terrestrial 

 Magnetism. 



Workshop. — The machine tools procured by grants from the Govern- 

 ment Grant Fund or the Donation Fund for the use of the Kew 

 Observatory have been kept in thorough order. In consequence of 

 the increased number of clinical thermometers submitted for verifica- 

 tion, a new specially constructed Galton testing apparatus has been 

 purchased at a cost of 38Z., as well as a duplicate Hall-marking 

 apparatus. Accommodation has been found in the workshop for the 

 assistants engaged in the new department specially devoted to the 

 examination of this class of instruments. 



Library. — During the year the Library has received, as presents, the 

 publications of — 



26 Scientific Societies and Institutions of Great Britain, and 



78 Foreign and Colonial Scientific Societies and Institutions. 



House, Grounds, and Footpath. — These have all been kept in order 

 during the year. A step ladder has been set up to give more con- 

 venient access to the roof of the Sun-room for the purpose of testing 

 Anemometers. The dome has also been lifted and its fittings 

 readjusted. The necessary external repairs to the building, as well 

 as an examination and cleaning of the drains, have been effected by 

 Her Majesty's Commissioners of Works. 



The Committee has addressed a memorial to Her Majesty's Com- 

 missioners of Woods and Forests, through the President and Council 

 of the Royal Society, with the object of securing free passage to the 



