FITZ-ROY WEATHER FORECASTS. 
263 
4. “ South-West England ” (from the Severn to Southampton 
Water). 
5. South East England ” (from the Isle of Wight to the 
Thames). 
6. “ East Coast ” (from the Thames to the Tweed), 
the coast being in each case the points cVappui. 
These districts were subsequently consolidated, into four 
viz. : — 
1. “ Northern” (Scotland). 
2. “ Western ” (Ireland, Wales). 
3. “ Southern ” (English Channel and Bay of Biscay). 
4. “Eastern” (the East Coast of England and the North 
Sea.) 
The telegraph being the agency for the transmission of weather 
news, and telegraphic messages, especially those involving figures, 
being costly and peculiarly liable to error, it became a matter 
of leading importance both to simplify and abbreviate the 
messages in every way possible. As a first step it was decided 
to discard words as far as possible, except for special purposes, 
and to dispense with headings, using only figures disposed in 
groups, the position of the figures in the several groups being, 
by pre-arrangement, understood to refer to certain particular 
meteorological elements and none others. 
Thus : — 
Aberdeen to London; 1862, July 25, 8 a.m. 
06041 . 93453 94663 21072 60420 05628 
This message expanded, and written out in the style familiar 
to every daily newspaper reader, becomes : — 
1862. 
July 25, 8 A.M. 
1 
B 
E 
D 
W 
F 
x 
c 
! i 
H 
R 
s 
j Aberdeen . . 
29.39 
60 
6 
sw 
5 
8 
6 
r 
6 
0.46 
8 
Appended to every Table thus circulated was the following 
“ Explanation ” : — 
B. — Barometer corrected and reduced to 32° at mean sea- 
level; each 10 feet of vertical rise causing about th of an inch 
diminution , and each 10 degrees above 32° causing nearly th 
increase. E. — Exposed thermometer in shade. D. — Difference 
of moistened bulb (for evaporation and dew point). W. — Wind 
direction (true — 2 points left of magnetic). F. — Force. I. — 
Initials : b , blue sky; c, clouds (detached) ; /, fog; A, hail; l , 
lightning ; m, misty (hazy) ; o, overcast (dull) ; r, rain ; s, snow ; 
t , thunder; H. — Hours of B = Bainfall, or snow or hail (melted), 
since last report. S. — Sea-disturbance (1 to 9), Z calm. 
