98 



Report of the Kew Observatory Committee. 



As in 1895, a Table of recent values of the Magnetic Elements at 

 the Observatories whose publications are received at Kew was con- 

 tributed to ' Science Progress,' appearing in the August number. A 

 similar table, but containing more recent data, will be found in 

 Appendix Ia to the present Report. 



With the consent of the Committee, an analysis of the non-cyclic- 

 effects in the Declination, Horizontal Force, and Vertical Force 

 results for the selected " quiet days " of the six years 1890 to 1895- 

 was drawn up and discussed by the Superintendent, and appears as 

 the Report of ' the B. A. Committee for the Comparison and Reduc- 

 tion of Magnetic Observations,' Liverpool, 1896. 



At the request of Professors von Bezolcl and Eschenhagen, the 

 Observatory participated in a combined scheme of eye observations- 

 of the Declination and Horizontal Force at intervals of five seconds 

 during an hour on each of the four days February 27, 28, and' 

 March 12, 13. On the two last occasions use was made of a very 

 delicate declinometer with quartz fibre suspension, specially devised 

 by Professor C. Y. Boys, F.R.S., enthusiastic assistance being given 

 by Messrs. Cooper and Sansom, students at the Royal College of 

 Science, South Kensington. 



Owing to the erratic behaviour of the limelight employed to 

 illuminate the declinometer mirror, the results were unfortunately 

 less successful than might have been desired. 



The Magnetic Instruments have been studied, and a knowledge of 

 their manipulation obtained, by Commanders Smyth and Heming and' 

 Lieutenants Monro and Somerville, of the Royal Navy. 



Information as to magnetic data or experimental details has been 

 supplied to Professor Riicker, Dr. E. Atkinson, Lieutenant-Colonel 

 Gore (Trigonometrical Survey of India), Captain Lyons, R.E., and 

 Captain Schiick, and the two latter gentlemen compared their in- 

 struments with the Observatory standards. 



Copies of magnetic curves were supplied to Dr. J. A. Fleming,. 

 F.R.S., for use in his lecture before the British Association on " The 

 Earth as a Great Magnet." 



II. Meteorological Observations. 



The several self-recording instruments for the continuous registra- 

 tion of Atmospheric Pressure, Temperature of Air and Wet-bulb, 

 Wind (direction and velocity), Bright Sunshine, and Rain, have been 

 maintained in regular operation throughout the year, and the 

 standard eye observations for the control of the automatic records 

 duly registered. 



The tabulations of the meteorological traces have been regularly 

 made, and these, as well as copies of the eye observations, with 



