Report of the Kew Committee, 



91 



editor of " Symons's Monthly Meteorological Magazine," the Secretary 

 of the Institute of Mining Engineers, Messrs. Banner and Co., 

 the late Mr. Greaves, and Messrs. Gwilliam, Mawley, Rowland, 

 Dr. Radcliffe, and others. The cost of these abstracts is borne by 

 recipients. 



Tracings of rain-gauge curves have been supplied to Mr. Symons 

 for the months of October, November, and December, 1882. 



JElectrograph. — This instrument has been in continuous action 

 through the year. 



In May it was dismounted from the 16th to the 20th, to allow of 

 structural alterations in connexion with the new stairs. 



The tabulation of the curves is at present in arrear, not having 

 been completed beyond February 28, 1882. 



The portable Thomson Electrometer has not been employed in 

 systematic observations during the year, but has had its scale value 

 experimentally determined, at Mr. De La Rue's laboratory, for tensions 

 ranging from —1240 to +1030 volts. 



Information as to the working of Atmospheric Electrometers has 

 been given to Professor Atwater, of Middleton, U.S.A., Dr. H. B. 

 Baker, Lansing, U.S.A., and M. Leon Descroix, of Paris. 



III. Solae Observations. 



The sketches of Sun-spots as seen projected on the photoheliograph 

 screen, have been made on 214 days, in order to continue Schwabe's 

 enumeration, the results being given in Appendix No. II. The sun's 

 surface was found to be free from spots on seven of those days. 



Solar Negatives. — The correction to the area-measurements for 

 foreshortening, which, at the date of the last report, had not been 

 applied to the reductions of sun-spot observations for the last two 

 years of the series, has since been made under Mr. De La Hue's 

 direction. 



The whole series is at the Royal Society, and is now being revised 

 and arranged for reference by Mr. Marth, on behalf of the Council of 

 the Royal Society, who made a grant of money for that purpose. 



With the view of utilising the instrument in the transit of Venus 

 of December 5, 1882, the Committee obtained the services of 

 Mr. Reynolds, so long associated with Astronomical Photography, 

 who made every preparation for taking a series of pictures of the 

 transit. The adverse atmospheric conditions which prevailed at the 

 time of the phenomenon, however, prevented any results being 

 obtained. 



Dr. Terby, of Louvain, requested a number of photographs, which 

 were selected from the Kew series and sent him on loan. He has 

 since returned them to the Observatory, having embodied the results 



