8 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
which strongly appeals not only to those who take special interest 
in the rapidly progressing science of Meteorology, hut to thousands 
beyond the limits of Scotland, and especially to those who go down 
to the sea in ships. My look here is directed up to the highest 
inhabited spot in Great Britain — to our Observatory on Ben Nevis. 
Every daily newspaper keeps under our eyes the work that is done 
there, and I am sure that all of you will join with me in paying a 
tribute of admiration to the unremitting self-denying labours of the 
superintendent, Mr Omond, and those who are associated with him. 
It will interest the Society to learn from authentic sources what has 
recently been done there. 
The work of observing at the Ben Nevis Observatory continues 
to be prosecuted by night and by day with energy and success, and 
live years’ observations have now been made. These observations, 
combined with those made at Fort William, contribute the best 
data yet available for the investigation of those fundamental ques- 
tions in atmospheric physics, viz., the rate of diminution of the 
temperature with height, and of pressure with height, for air tem- 
peratures and sea-level pressures. The valuable results already 
arrived at have been utilised in the construction of the new iso- 
thermal and isobaric charts of the globe now being prepared for the 
Challenger Expedition Reports. 
Data of invaluable character have been contributed for the solu- 
tion or elucidation of such important questions as the diurnal 
changes in the velocity and direction of the wind ; the relation 
between temperature and wind ; the hygrometry of the atmosphere ; 
earth currents ; glories, halos, coronse, and other optical phenomena 
in their relations to cloud crystals. Photography has recently 
been added to the observers’ instrumental means on Ben Nevis, and 
it is interesting to note that a few days ago a case of St Elmo’s Fire 
at the Observatory was successfully photographed. 
I venture to quote a sentence from the Report of a Committee of 
the Royal Society appointed to co-operate with the Scottish Meteo- 
rological Society in making meteorological observations on Ben 
Nevis. 
The Directors of the Observatory are maturing a plan for a 
thorough discussion of the Ben Nevis and Fort William observa- 
tions in their scientific and practical bearings. This plan will 
