605 
aiigust,  Acadeiny,  in  tlie  award  of  tlie  Hüys  Ballot  inedal.  ll  is 
quite  equal  to  its  duty  — i(  is  indeed  famons  throngiiont  ilie  world. 
Bnt  one  dnty  I can  discliarge  not  onij  witli  hecoining  inodesty 
bnt  also  witli  nnfeigned  pleasnre  and  tlia(  is  to  lliank  yoii  most 
warmly  foc  tlie  reception  wliicli  yon  have  given  to  me  tliis  aflei- 
noon  and  to  acknowledge  the  great  liononr,  whieh  llie  Aoademy 
has  bestowed  npon  me  by  tlie  award  of  the  medal. 
And  1 ask  yonr  permission  to  add  tliat  I am  [lartioiilafly  pleased 
to  have  my  name  associated  with  the  oommemoralion  of  Bdys  Ballot. 
The  name  of  Buys  Ballot  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  meteorologists 
all  over  the  world  and  first  for  the  expiession  of  the  relalion 
between  wind  and  the  distribniion  of  pressnre  ia  the  form  of  the 
Buys  Ballot  law,  whicli  is  now  one  of  the  axioms  of  dynamieal 
meteorology.  And  here  let  me  salnte  in  liini,  tliat  peenliar  factdty 
of  expression  which  constitutes  geiiins.  He  miglit  easily  have  worded 
bis  law  tliat,  if  yon  stand  wilh  yonr  back  in  the  wind,  low  pressnre 
will  be  in  front  of  yon  and  high  |)ressuie  behind  yon.  In  tliat  form 
it  might  have  found  nniversal  at'ceplance:  in  a sense  it  wonhl  liave 
been  trne,  bat  the  statement  wonld  have  made  ao  effective  addition 
to  the  Science  of  meteorology.  He  chose  iastead  the  expiession  tliat 
with  yonr  back  to  the  wind  the  low  iiressnre  is  on  yonr  left,  the 
high  pressnre  is  on  yonr  right;  it  did  not  find  inimediate  acceptance, 
bnt  it  was  a vilal  addition  to  the  Science.  So  delicate  is  the  distinc- 
tion  between  genius  and  the  commonplace. 
Secondly  let  me  recall  the  leading  [lart,  tliat  Buys  Baij.ot  took 
in  the  advocacy  of  international  cooperation  in  meteorology  and 
his  share  in  the  initial  organisation.  There  again  is  an  ex|)ression 
of  genius  which  even  now  is  not  so  fnlly  recognized  as  it  must  be. 
Meteorology  is  preeminently  a Science  in  which  each  worker  is 
dependent  npon  observations  made  by  others  in  other  parts  of  the 
world.  No  meteorologist  can  live  to  himself,  he  must  have  fellow 
workers  npon  whom  he  is  dependent  as  they  are  dependent  npon  him. 
And  this  leads  me  to  point  ont  that  althongh  meteorologists 
must  have  all  things  in  common,  yet  different  conntries  rnay  play 
different  parts  in  the  stndy  of  the  atmosphere.  Soine  snrvey  the 
sea,  and  others  the  land,  mountains  and  high  lands  contribnte  their 
share  bnt  the  low  lands  are  not  by  any  means  to  be  neglected.  It 
is  an  iiistrnctive  thonght,  that  if  Buys  Bat.lot  had  not  lived  in 
Holland  he  conld  hardly  have  found  ont  his  law  becanse  the  pressure 
and  the  wind  in  hilly  conntries  belong  to  different  levels.  It  conld 
never  have  occurred  to  a dweller  in  Switzerland  or  even  in  Anstria. 
So,  when  we  think  of  what  mountain  peaks  and  even  what  aero- 
