22 
PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
collection, and in December, 1881, Mr. Abbe’s cards were pur¬ 
chased. 
Mr. Symons’ catalogue^ was received in October, 1883, and on 
March 4, 1884, Mr. C. J. Sawyer, librarian of the Signal office, 
was relieved from the care of the library, and, as bibliographer, 
ordered to devote his whole time to the completion of this work, 
which was then transferred from the library to the study room 
division of the Signal office. 
At the second meeting of the International meteorological com¬ 
mittee, at Copenhagen, in August, 1882, Messrs. Scott and Hell- 
mann reported that the Meteorological office could not print the 
proposed catalogue and that subscriptions were not practicable. 
They therefore recommended each meteorological service to publish 
a national bibliography, for which Hellmann’s Repertorium der 
deiitschen Meteorologie, prepared in accordance with the ideas of 
the committee and now just about to be published, should serve as 
a model. It need only be added, that since 1882 the International 
meteorological committee have, with other meteorologists, acqui¬ 
esced in the arrangement by which the Signal service has under¬ 
taken to complete and, if possible, publish for its own and for gen¬ 
eral use a general index to the literature of meteorology. 
The importance of this woi;k is especially endorsed by General 
Greely, who, in his current annual report, October, 1887, as Chief 
signal officer, says: 
The practical value of such a bibliography has been fully shown 
by its constant use in current office work, and, in addition to the 
official demands, almost daily calls for information have been re¬ 
ceived from parties not connected with the service. The result of 
this work is the collection of special bibliographies, which ensures 
those consulting it a complete index of what has been accomplished 
in each special line of meteorology. As has been well said, the 
progress of meteorology is retarded and labor therein wasted owing 
to the impossibility of ascertaining what has been done in its various 
branches—an experience which, as scientific men well know, is by 
no means confined to this science. The cost of time and labor to 
the Government for the preparation of this work cannot be less than 
$12,000 to $15,000, and the result of these labors has been the com¬ 
pletion of a work which is of great value, both practically and sci¬ 
entifically, to the entire world. The catalogue in its present condi¬ 
tion is valuable, and sufficient for the pressing needs of this service, 
but to view it in this light Avould evince a narrow and selfish dispo¬ 
sition not in keeping with the scientific spirit of the age. At a cost 
