400 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
The first line gives the year of observation; the second, the 
month ; the third, the date ; the fourth, the name of the ship ; the 
fifth gives the number of observations of temperature in a given 
square ; the sixth line gives the minimum temperature, the seventh 
gives the maximum, and the eighth the mean, The columns of 
each square I put in chronological order with regard to the month 
and the day, hut neglecting the year. After every month I have 
an extra column for the monthly mean, and as the mean of the 
date may not correspond to the middle of the month, I give in the 
ninth line the mean temperature reduced to the middle of the 
month. 
Now, suppose somebody wishes to add new data upon the 
temperature observed on some other ships, he will have all my in- 
formation at his disposal, and certainly his conclusions will be 
better than mine, because he will get the advantage of more exten- 
sive information. Suppose some one wishes to study the variations 
of temperature of water by certain periods of time, one year, five 
years, seven years, or whatever it may be, he will also find the 
necessary information in my tables. 
Sir John Murray, whom I am glad to see present, wished to 
study the amplitude of the variation in the temperature of the sur- 
face waters, which has doubtless a great influence upon the organic 
life in the ocean ; he found in my tables very necessary informa- 
tion, which assisted him in arriving at some very useful conclusions, 
published not long ago in the Geographical Journal . 
I will be very glad if my tables of temperature can be discussed 
here, or in a separate Commission, and that the Oceanographers 
would come to certain definite opinions with regard to the mode of 
collecting the information about the temperature of the surface 
water. It would be a great advantage to knowledge to divide the 
study of the sea with regard to the temperature. Suppose Russia 
should take Okotsk Sea, Behring Sea, or Sea of Japan, Black Sea, 
White Sea, Kara Sea, and the Finnish Gulf, England takes the 
Atlantic, United States takes Northern Pacific, Germany takes 
Indian Ocean, France takes South Pacific, Sweden and Norway 
take North Sea, Baltic Sea and the Arctic Sea. Every nation 
should extract the information in regard to the temperature from 
ship’s log books, put it in tables of approved description, and send 
