2 



BOTANIC Gh^ilDKiSrS. 



Report of the Superintendent of the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Trinidad, for the year 1893. 



Council Paper No. Jfi of 189 4.. M. P. No. 1393/1894. 



Royal Botanic Gardens, 



March 30, 1894. 



Sir, 



I beg to forward herewith my seventh Annual Report on the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens and their work. The year under review ends December 31st, 1893. 



I have again to record that the year's work has been a difficult one. The incle- 

 ment weather which prevailed in 1892 continued for the greater part of the year 1893, 

 and the rainfall as recorded at the gardens exceeded that of 1892 by I So inches; 

 1892, 91-14' inches ; 1893, 92.49 inches. The establishment suffered severely from the 

 damage occasioned by the heavy downpours, and roads, drains, borders and beds have 

 needed constant attention, vegetation suffered generally and plants of a tender character 

 had to be frequently replaced, in all parts of the garden. 



ESTABLISHMENT. 



The staff of the gardens remains the same as last year. The Superintendent was 

 absent on leave for three months commencing on April 26th during which period Mr. 

 W. E. Broadway acted as Superintendent. Mr. Broadway was absent on fourteen 

 days' vacation leave in September and ten days on Medical certificate in November. 



METEOROLOGY. 



The usual observations have been duly made at the Gardens, and the record of 

 the Island rainfall has been continued. We have lost some observers, but new Stations 

 having been added to these already existing, and our total number of observers in the 

 Island is now ninety-nine. The annual returns are appended to this report. The 

 barometric observations taken in this office have on several occasions proved of service 

 to the shipping interest in Port-of-Spain, as we were able to give timely warning of 

 disturbed weather which enabled suitable precautions to be taken by "flat" owners 

 and Captains of vessels in port. Our means of making the barometric variations 

 known to shippers is however inadequate for the purpose, and it is hoped that during 

 1894 a system of signals may be devised which will prove of greater service. Inqui- 

 ries have been received from Cuba asking that intelligence of any disturbance may be 

 communicated to them during the hurricane season, for it is well known that the 

 storms which do so much damage further North, take their rise near the Equator, 

 and that in Trinidad, we are from our geographical position able to make the first 

 note of barometric variations common to such disturbances. Trinidad, as a rule, is not 

 affected to any serious extent, but loss is occasionally caused to "flat" owners by 

 these storms. It is well known that weather, which amounts only to a "strong blow " 

 with us, may develope as it travels North into the much dreaded hurricane or cyclone, 

 and a great service could be rendered by giving telegraphic communication of any 

 serious barometric variation, to Stations at the Northern Islands during the season 

 when such storms are known to be of frequent occurrence. 



Towards the end of the year, I had the advantage of being able, through the 

 kindness of His Excellency the Governor, to take an automatic record of the tempera- 

 ture at the Gardens office by the use of Daniel's Recording Thermometer. These 

 records are of a very interesting character, but have not been taken for a sufficient 

 length of time to enable any accurate deductions to be made. The instrument is 

 clock-shaped and records on a circular diagram the rise and fall of temperature at all 

 times during the day and night for each day of the week ; each diagram containing a 

 seven days' record. The instrument also answers as a clock and calendar, telling the 

 time, the day and the date. 



