Report of the Keiv Committee for the Year ending 

 October 31, 1883. 



The operations of the Kew Observatory, in the Old Deer Park, 

 Richmond, Surrey, are controlled by the Kew Committee, which is 

 constituted as follows : 



Mr. De La Rue, Chairman. 



Captain W. de W. Abney, 

 R.E. 



Prof. W. G. Adams. 

 Capt. Sir F. Evans, K.C.B. 

 Prof. G. C. Foster. 

 Mr. F. Galton. 



Vice-Adm. Sir G. H. Richards, 

 C.B. 



The Earl of Rosse. 



Mr. R. H. Scott. 



Lieut.- General W. J. S my the. 



Lieut.-Gen. R. Strachey, C.S.I. 



Mr. E. Walker. 



The Committee regret to announce the decease of their venerable 

 Chairman, the late Sir E. Sabine, K.C.B., who died on the 26th of 

 June at the very advanced age of ninety-four years and eight months. 

 Sir Edward was one of the chief promoters of the Observatory, and 

 took a leading part in its direction from its first establishment as a 

 Physical Observatory in 1841. Up to within a few weeks of his 

 death he was constant in his inquiries after its condition, although for 

 the last eight years he had been prevented by infirmity from taking 

 an active part in the meetings of its Committee. 



The instruments employed for the absolute observations of terres- 

 trial magnetism, as well as several less important pieces of apparatus 

 used in the regular work of the Observatory, were originally provided 

 by Sir E. Sabine. 



To speak of that branch of their late Chairman's scientific work, 

 with which the Kew Committee has been more particularly concerned, 

 they may say that, in their opinion, the science of terrestrial mag- 

 netism owes more to Sir Edward Sabine than to any man who ever 

 studied it, Gauss alone perhaps excepted. 



The work at the Observatory may be considered under six 

 heads : — 



1st. Magnetic observations. 



2nd. Meteorological observations. 



