316 
MR. J. WELSH’S ACCOUNT OF METEOROLOGICAL 
with stopcocks. They were prepared by Dr. Miller previously to each ascent, and 
hermetically sealed immediately after their return to King’s College. 
§ 2. Observing Arrangements, Personal and Instrumental. 
It was deemed advisable that, in the first ascents at least, two observers should 
take part in the work. Mr. R. B. Nicklin, who for upwards of two years had been 
employed at the Kew Observatory and been practised in the observation of instru- 
ments, acted as my assistant in the first two ascents. Mr. Nicklin’s aid was of 
essential service, and I wish to express my acknowledgement for the careful manner 
in which he took the observations with which he was entrusted, and for the readiness 
with which he assisted me on several occasions, sometimes at considerable personal 
inconvenience, when unforeseen difficulties arose. Having in these two ascents 
acquired experience in the observations, and having got the instruments into better 
working order, in the last two ascents I undertook the observations alone, thus ob- 
taining the power of reaching a greater elevation. 
The car attached to the balloon was an oblong basket of wicker-work, about 6 feet 
long, 3 feet wide, and 2^ feet deep. One end of this was occupied by the observers 
with the instruments, and the other by Mr. Green, who managed the balloon. A 
light board, a foot wide, was fixed across the car in front of the observers : at the 
extremity of this board, and projecting nearly a foot over the side of the car, was 
erected a light horizontal bar of wood, raised about 9 inches above the board, and 
inclined at an angle of about 45° to its length, the board being cut away beyond the 
bar so as not to present any resistance to the circulation of the air. Upon the bar were 
fixed the thermometers and hygrometers. The aspirator was fixed to the lower side 
of the board, in which a hole was cut to admit the connecting tubes. On the first 
ascent the barometers were suspended from the hoop by which the car is attached to 
the netting of the balloon ; this was however found to be inconvenient ; and in the 
subsequent ascents they were suspended by gimbals from the cross board, their verti- 
cality being secured by weights attached to the lower ends of the cases. When 
seated in the car for observation, Mr. Nicklin occupying the right-hand corner and I 
the left, the stand supporting the thermometers was to my left, at a distance of about 
18 inches ; the aspirator being underneath the board, which served as a table before 
us : one barometer was immediately in front of Mr. Nicklin, and the other before 
myself ; the observations could thus be readily taken without rising from our places. 
In order to obtain as continuous a record as possible of the variations of tempera- 
ture and humidity, the observations were taken at very short intervals, generally at 
every minute, but frequently twice in a minute. In the first two ascents Mr. Nicklin 
observed one barometer, whilst I observed the thermometers and hygrometers, 
taking an occasional observation of the second barometer as a check upon the indi- 
cations of the other. A watch which had been set to Greenwich time was placed in 
sight of both observers. In the last two ascents, when I was the only observer, the 
