12 



Report of the Kew Observatory Committee. 



The Committee are much indebted to Professor Riicker and Pro- 

 fessor Perry for the trouble they have taken in the matter, and they 

 are also glad to express their acknowledgment of the valuable 

 assistance rendered by the editors of scientific journals and various 

 eminent men of science in educating public opinion. The Committee- 

 even hope that ere long tramway companies themselves will recog- 

 nise the benefits accruing from improved insulation. 



Whilst everything has been done, as far as can be foreseen, to pro- 

 tect the magnetographs, it is impossible to contemplate the future 

 without some misgivings. 



National Physical Laboratory. — The Government Committee, 

 referred to in last year's Report, visited the Observatory on 

 January 18th. In the course of the summer, that Committee sub- 

 mitted to the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury a 

 report, embodying the following four recommendations : — 



1. That a public institution should be founded for standardizing and 

 verifying instruments, for testing materials, and for the determination 

 of physical constants. 



2. That the institution should be established by extending the Kew 

 Observatory in the Old Deer Park, Richmond, and that the scheme 

 should include the improvement of the existing buildings, and the 

 erection of new buildings at some distance from the present Obser- 

 vatory. 



3. That the Royal Society should be invited to control the proposed 

 institution, and to nominate a Governing Body, on which commercial 

 interests should be represented, the choice of the members of sncli 

 Body not being confined to Fellows of the Society. 



4. That the Permanent Secretary of the Board of Trade should 

 be an ex officio member of the Governing Body ; and that such Body 

 should be consulted by the Standards Office and the Electrical 

 Standardizing Department of the Board of Trade upon difficult 

 questions that may arise from time to time or as to proposed modi- 

 fications or developments. 



In October, the Royal Society informed the Kew Observatory 

 Committee that the Government had adopted the report generally, 

 and were willing to provide funds for carrying it into effect ; conse- 

 quently the Royal Society asked for the concurrence of the Kew 

 Observatory Committee in their action. 



In reply, the Committee expressed their willingness to facili- 

 tate the execution of the scheme, and to continue to administer 

 the Observatory pending the nomination of the new Governing- 

 Body. The arrangements were not completed before the close of 

 1898. 



Library. — During the year the library has received publications 

 from 



