Report of the Keiv Observatory Committee. 



347 



The number of instruments rejected in 1898 and 1899 on account of 

 excessive error, or for other reasons, was as follows : — 



1898. 1899. 



Thermometers, clinical 173 149 



„ ordinary meteorological .. . 92 78 



Sextants 106 151 



Telescopes 60 49 



Binoculars 30 21 



Various 26 14 



Two Standard Thermometers have been constructed during the 

 year. 



There were at the end of the year in the Observatory, undergoing 

 verification, 6 Barometers, 450 Thermometers, 24 Sextants, 150 Tele- 

 scopes, 75 Binoculars, 6 Hydrometers, 2 Rain Measures, 2 Rain Gauges, 

 and 2 Unifilar Magnetometers. 



VI. Rating of Watches and Chronometers. 



The number of watches sent for trial this year is slightly less than 

 in 1898, the total entries being 469, as compared with 483 in the pre- 

 ceding year. 



The " especially good " class A certificate was obtained by 78 

 watches. The highest number of marks obtained is a fraction lower 

 than the highest obtained in 1898, but the average performance shows 

 no falling off, as appears from the following figures showing the per- 

 centage number of watches obtaining the distinction " especially 

 good," as compared to the total number obtaining class A certifi- 

 cates : — 



Year 1894. 1895. 1898. 1897. 1898. 1899. 



Percentage " especially good " 16-1 16-6 30-5 28-0 22-1 26-6 



The 469 watches received were entered for trial as below : — 

 For class A, 362 ; class B, 86 ; and 21 for the subsidiary trial. Of 

 these 19 passed the subsidiary test, 62 were awarded class B, and 293 

 class A certificates, while 95 failed from various causes to gain any 

 certificate. 



In Appendix IV will be found a table giving the results of trial of 

 the 50 watches which gained the highest number of marks during 

 the year. The highest place was taken by Messrs, S. Smith & Son, 

 9, Strand, London, with a keyless fusee tourbillon lever watch, No. 

 238-99, which obtained 88*7 marks out of a maximum of 100. 



Marine Chronometers. — During the year, 56 chronometers have been 

 entered for the Kew A trials ; of these 34 gained certificates, and 

 22 failed. 



No movements were sent in for the class B trials, and as the demand 



