60J 
facts  and  theories  display ed  in  Ins  mannal  of  nieleoi'olooj  and  otliei’ 
conti'ibnlions  to  our  Science; 
Assmann  and  Berson,  afterwards  HERüKSKJJi,  wlio  exiended  llie 
experimental  tield  tovvards  tlie  tliird  dimension  and  over  tlie  oceans 
bj  devising  new  inetliods  of  attack  and  organizing  scienlitic  lesearcli, 
with  the  nltiinale  residt  of  the  discovery  of  the  stratos|iliere  and 
all  the  ajiornalies  of  teinperatiire  in  tlie  troposphere. 
j Buys  Ballot,  in  the  disciission  of  his  own  work,  sajs  that  he 
I left  too  imich  lo  others  the  care  of  developing  his  law  into  a 
i matheniatical  fonn. 
I Also  the  fanions  meteorologists  T rnentioned  are  rather  more 
! renowned  for  an  enormons  increase  of  onr  knowledge  of  facts 
t than  for  framing  theories. 
I Is  that  so,  to  quote  jour  own  words:  ,,becanse  ineteorology  has 
} not  arrived  at  the  stage  suitable  for  the  attention  of  a professor?” 
No  — since  this  was  written  '),  jour  country  got  ils  professor  of 
meteorologj,  and  there  and  elsewliere  since  the  dajs  of  Ferrel 
and  even  of  Hadi.ey  and  Halley  several  of  the  ablest  among 
scientists  have  given  their  attention  to  the  physical  probleins  sug- 
I gested  by  the  study  of  meteorology  — I oidy  mention  by  way  of 
i example  the  more  recent  investigations  bj'  Margules  and  B.ierknes 
i on  the  energy  and  the  formation  of  cyclones,  tliose  of  Hümphreys, 
; Goj.d  and  Emden  on  radiation  equilibrinm. 
j What  then  is  the  reason,  that  no  communis  opinio  exists  at  Ihis 
I moment  abont  vital  points:  f.  i.  whether  the  gradiënt  causes  the 
j wind,  or  the  wind  the  gradiënt;  whether  teinperatiire  ditferences 
j are  the  causes  or  the  resnlt  of  the  formation  of  cyclones?  Is  it  not, 
1 becanse  the  physical  problems  discussed  by  these  scientists  are  not 
‘ qnite  meteorological  problems?  Indeed,  in  order  to  secure  a soliition, 
it  has  often  been  necessary  to  simplify  or  to  modify  the  problem 
in  snch  a way,  that  the  practical  meteorologist  is  at  a loss  what 
to  do  with  the  resnlt,  or  is  inclined  to  think  that  the  more  important 
sources  of  energy  have  been  shut  out  at  the  boundary. 
I quote  another  of  your  words : 
,,The  dynarnics  of  an  elaslic  tluid  mo\  ing  on  a rolating  spheroid, 
however  interesting,  is  besel  with  an  extraordinary  nnmber  of  lenq)- 
tations  to  error,  and  the  more  hnmble  ambition  of  ti'ying  to  tind 
out  what  the  motion  really  is,  although  [lainfnlly  laborions,  has 
advantages  which  may  be  compared  with  the  advanlages  which 
walking  has  as  compared  with  the  use  of  a tlying  machine” 
’)  The  Air  and  its  Ways  p.  42,  Cambridge  1923. 
2)  The  Mechanics  of  the  Atmosphere,  Nature,  July  1904. 
