1869.] Meteorological Observations at the Central Observatory. 3 



by the author in his paper published in the ' Proceedings' in 1865, and was 

 again noted and recorded by him in 1867 ; it has also been observed in 

 the human subject by Professor Turner and others, and is considered by 

 the former to be the representative of the rectus thoracicus of animals 

 The author, however, is of opinion that the muscle figured by Cuvier as 

 the sterno-costal in animals is a better fitting homology, and gives in this 

 paper illustrations from his own dissections in animals in support of this 

 view. 



XI. " Results of the first year's performance of the Photographically 

 Self-recording Meteorological Instruments at the Central Ob- 

 servatory of the British System of Meteorological Observa- 

 tions/' By Lieut. -General Edward Sabine, R.A., President. 

 Received June 17, 1869. 



Before the Fellows of the Society disperse for the long vacation, I am 

 desirous to bring under their notice the results of the first year's perform- 

 ance (January 1 to December 31, 1868) of the photographically self- 

 recording meteorological instruments established at Kew, the Central Ob- 

 servatory of the British Meteorological System instituted by the Board 

 of Trade and superintended by a Committee of Fellows of the Royal 

 Society. 



The photograms, with tabulations carefully prepared from them, are 

 transmitted monthly by Mr. Stewart, the Superintendent of the Kew 

 Observatory, to Mr. Scott, the Director of the Meteorological Office in 

 London, where the results are computed and embodied in Tables, of the 

 nature of those which are now presented. 



The first of these Tables shows the Diurnal Variation, or the values of the 

 phenomena at each of the 24 hours, on the mean of the year. It exhibits 



1st. The Temperature. 



2nd. The Elasticity of the Aqueous Vapour. 



3rd. The Barometric Pressure. 



4th. The Pressure of the Dry Air. 



5th. The Humidity. 



In meteorology and climatology much instruction may often be derived 

 from tracing the modif}dng influences of diversities of situation ; and I have 

 thought that these Tables might be made more acceptable and interesting 

 to the Society, and the subject be advantageously illustrated, by the addi- 

 tion of corresponding results for two other stations, which are very nearly 

 in the same geographical latitude as Kew, but are very differently situated 

 in other respects, being in the interior of the European and xVsiatic conti- 

 nent — thoroughly continental therefore, and as such contrasted with our in- 

 sular British stations. Nertchinsk and Barnaoul, both in Siberia, are two of 

 the stations of the great Russian system of observatories, established by our 



b 2 



