REPORT OP THE COUNCIL. XXxiii 
parison with the standard bar in his possession. Your Committee beg to 
subjoin the following letter, received from Professor Miller:— 
“ Cambridge, 27th January, 1854. 
“I beg leave to communicate to the Kew Committee the following results 
of the comparison of the Kew standard bar :— 
“in air temp.65°*6G Falir. (I8°‘7C), pressure 29°'75in. of mercury, reduced 
to the temperature of freezing water (755*64- M.M.) by a mean of 80 com¬ 
parisons, the Kew standard appears to be 0-00085 gr. heavier than | |J (lost 
standard troy pound). 
“The ratio of the density uf the Kew standard at freezing to the maxi¬ 
mum density of water is 8-20357 (log. 0*914-0030), its vol. at freezing 
=volnine of 853*2866 grs. of water at maximum density. 
“The density of the Kew standard is different from that which appears 
to be the most probable value of the density of the lost standard, conse¬ 
quently its error, when reduced to vacuum, differs from the error given above. 
In vacuo the Kew standard is 0-00655 gr. lighter than the Parliamentary 
standard. (Signed) «W. f I. Miller.” 
The Rev. Mr. Slieepshatiks, in a communication with Dr. Miller, reports, 
as the result of 138 comparisons made at a moan temperature of 40 -78 Fahr., 
that the Kew standard scale is at a temperature of 62° Fahr. 0-00009J Inch 
longer than the standard yard. Mr. Sheepshanks proposes to repeat the 
comparison at a higher temperature, so as to avoid any uncertainty that may 
exist as regards the expansion of the Kew bar. 
New Stand for Out-Door Observations with Thermometers . — At the first 
meeting of your Committee on 12th November, 1853, they authorize! Mr. 
Welsh to prepare a new stand for out-door observations of ihcrmonu tors. 
Iliis stand has been erected outside the balustrade wall, at tin- t.,p of the 
steps leading to the north entrance of the Observatory. The thermoim-ter* 
are placed at a distance of 8 feet from the wait of the house, 11 fee t above 
the ground, and feet from the nearest part of the balustrade. In this 
position there is a free circulation of air in all directions of the wind. The 
thermometers are protected from radiation by two cages with Venetian blind 
Fides aud^ roofs ; the sides of the cages descending to 6 inches b. low the 
bulbs. Ihey are thus quite sheltered from rain, whilst very little interrup- 
tionis offered to the free access of the air. The dimensions of the rag<s an¬ 
as follows: — Thu outer is 6 feet broad, 5 feet deep, and 5 feet high ; the 
inner cage is 3 feet broad, 2 feet deep, and 8| feet high, lesv ing a s*pacc 
° about 18 inches between the. cages. The bulbs of the thermometers are 
about 16 tuohes above the lower portion of the framework, which if quite 
open. Doors on the side of the stand next the entrance of the Observatory 
are opened when the thermometers are to be observed. The whole of the 
stands are painted green inside and out. 
1 he stand contains a pair of dry and wet thermometers, graduated at the 
nsorvatory; a maximum thermometer, also constructed at the Observa¬ 
tory, on the principle proposed many years since by Mr. J. Phillips, the 
Assistant General Secretary of the Association, and described by him ir. the 
v ?l° f me * le port3; a maximum thermometer of the recent construe- 
ion i of . Jessrs. Negretti and Zambia; a minimum thermometer, on Huther- 
ur » principle, rnadc by Adie of London; and a Kegnault’s dew-point hy¬ 
drometer, with a bellows aspirator, also made by Adie: the scales of tin 
p 5 rwra f f ) t8 > WI *b ^ ie exception of Negretti’s maximum thermometer and 
Kegnaults hygrometer, are divided on the tubes. 
1854- 18 ^ e ^ eve< ^’ b y tbe arrangements above described, a very close ap- 
