GENERAL MEETINGS. 
21 
of the meteorological observations' published or unpublished, for 
their respective countries. 
At the Rome conference Dr. Hellmann’s letter was presented on 
April 21 and by the congress referred to the newly-appointed Inter¬ 
national meteorological committee. The congress also adopted 
resolutions^ asking the delegates to prepare lists of the .observations 
for their respective countries, and the directors of meteorological 
libraries to add lists of the works not found in the published library 
catalogues of the Meteorological society of London and the obsei v- 
atory at Brussels, or in Mr. Abbe’s cards. 
After the meeting at Rome Mr. Abbe received a letter from Dr. 
Hellmann, to which he replied August 22, 1879, offering to co¬ 
operate in the preparation of a general bibliography and to transfer 
his cards either to the International meteorological committee or to 
Dr. Hellmann personally, on the repayment of his expenses. 
At the same time a similar offer was made to General Myer, 
Chief signal officer, under the impression that the latter would be 
pleased to complete the work as an official matter. 
At the first or Berne meeting of the International meteorological 
oommittee in August, 1880, letters of Dr. Hellmann were read 
dated January 20 and July 20, 1880, giving a detailed scheme for 
combining the various works and for ^he preparation of a catalogue, 
and embodying Mr. Abbe’s proposal of August, 1879, as well as 
a similar one from Mr. G. J. Symons of London^ The committee, 
however, resolved that each country be requested to furnish lists 
of observations and that Messrs. Scott and Hellmann be a sub- 
eommittee to consider the means of carrying out Dr. Hellmann’s 
scheme.^ 
In the fall of 1881, Mr. Abbe wrote to Mr. Symons for more de¬ 
tails as to his work. Mr. Symons’ reply and Mr. Abbe’s renewal 
of his previous offer were then laid before General Hazen, Chief 
signal officer, who decided to purchase the catalogues of both these 
gentlemen with a view to their combination and completion by the 
Signal office in case the International committee did not do this. 
In November, 1881, Mr. Symons was authorized to prepare at the 
expense of the Signal office, a copy of all meteorological titles in his 
2 Rep. pr. internat. meteoral. cong. Rome 1879, Lond., 1879, p. 21, 7o. 
^Rep. pr. internat. meteoral. comm. Berne,1880, Loncl., 1881, p. 38, 40. 
^Ibid., p. 8-9. 
