Correspondence. 3907 
Paris; and for the daily communication by telegram to 
Paris of the state of the weather at certain points in the 
United Kingdom. The facts thus communicated to the 
Meteorological Department were thenceforth published in 
the daily papers. 
“Tn August, 1861, a great extension of the weather pre- 
dictions took place, first in extending the storms signals to 
many places not previously warned—viz., to 130, as it 
would seem, instead of to 50 places as at first; and in 
making daily forecasts of the weather in the newspapers.” 
The late Admiral Fitzroy stated in his report of 1862 
that, “ By continued and consecutive series of charts, several 
hundred in number, constructed on the synchronous prin- 
ciple, an insight into the laws of our atmosphere, into 
meteorological dynamics (distinct from statistical results, 
previously obtained at observatories and elsewhere), has 
been gained, which has enabled us to know what weather 
will prevail during the next two or three days, and as a 
corollary, when a storm may occur.” 
The Committee, in their report, state, however, that 
“The maxims on which the Department acts in foretelling 
weather, whatever they may be, and whatever may be their 
intrinsic value, are not shown to have been obtained and 
established in the Department itself by means of accurate 
induction from observed facts. Neither is there any evi- 
dence that in framing such maxims, the various attempts 
of other meteorologists to give precision to the science 
Mame been whilized.: © =: >. Nor-do we--find*'that the 
experience of the Department in issuing these predictions, 
which is now of five years’ standing, has been turned to 
account in reducing the practice to a system. The fore- 
cast issued on two succeeding days for the third day differ 
from one another in every possible way.” 
Again: “ Under these circumstances, we cannot say that 
there is evidence that the daily forecasts have been correct 
in point of fact, or that ‘we are enabled, to use the words 
quoted above, ‘to know what weather will prevail during 
the next two or three days, and as a corollary, when a storm 
wil occur. ” 
And at page 35, the Committee say that “it seems to us 
obvious that the pra>tice of issuing storm warnings can 
neither be discontinued, nor allowed to continue in their 
present unscientific, and therefore unsatisfactory, condition. 
It can never be satisfactory till we have arrived at a more 
complete knowledge of the laws which govern the changes 
K 2 
