published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and in the Journal of the Scottish Meteorological Society. Much work has been done in the offices in Edinburgh and Fort William in recopying, on separate daily sheets, the hourly observations of the two Observatories, in connection with a strictly scientific examination of the two sets of observations in their bearings on the meteorology of north-western Europe. This important research was begun by Dr. Buchan in spring last, and it has since occupied any time that has been available after the discharge of his official duties. The subject has been divided into several parts, and each is treated separately by itself, in its relations with the other observations more or less closely connected with it. The following are the selected divisions of the research: Cyclones; anticyclones; differences of temperature between the top and bottom of the mountain, much smaller than the normal difference, including inversions of temperature, when the temperature at the top is higher than that at Fort William ; large differences of temperature, much exceeding the normal difference, particularly in their close connections with coming storms; great dryness of air at top, which occurs with anticyclones, and their intimate bearing on the movements of these important weather factors; marked differences of wind at top and bottom, both as regards direction and force, especially in their close relationship to the extent of the 'droop' of the barometric pressure likely to occur with the coming cyclone; relations of the observations above and below to the storms reported by the keepers of the Scottish Northern Lighthouses; conditions under which very diverse readings of the two barometers occur, as regards time of phases, and character of the fluctuations; and an examination of the whole observations with the reported rainfall at about a hundred stations selected from all parts of Scotland. In these inquiries the weather maps of this and other European countries at the time are examined. The general method of treatment may be best shown by an example. Thus in dealing with cyclones, the following data are collected and entered in the respective columns of the sheet for cyclones, viz., position in Europe of the cyclone; position of the nearest anticyclone at the time, with its highest recorded barometer and place; the direction in which Ben Nevis is situated from the cyclone, whether N., N.E., E., &c.; distance of Ben Nevis from the centre of the cyclone in miles; temperatures at the Observatories; humidities at ditto, sunshine and cloud at ditto; barometer at Fort William, at sea level; lowest recorded barometer at centre of cyclone, and its position; wind at sea level from daily weather maps, and at top of mountain; and the lighthouses at which storms occurred. It will be recognised that several of these points have been to some extent already adverted to in our previous reports; but what is now attempted to be done is an inquiry into their relations to each other. The unique character of the inquiry results from the fact that the High Level Observatory on Ben Nevis is situated right in the general path of the cyclones of north-western Europe, whereas the other high level observatories and stations of Europe that have been used in similar investigations are altogether outside that path. So far as it has gone, the inquiry already points to the result that there can be no doubt most important modifications will require to be made as to the theories of the cyclone more generally held by meteorologists at the present time. It being felt that more assistance was required to expedite this work of discussion than it is in the power of the directors to give, application was made to the President and Council of the Royal Society for a grant of 100l. from the fund placed at their disposal by the Government Grant Committee. The application was granted, and the money will be applied in paying assistants for doing portions of the routine work of the offices in Edinburgh and Fort William, in order to give Dr. Buchan and Mr. Omond time for carrying on the inquiries sketched out above. The examination of the Hourly Barometric Curves during fine, clear days and during cloudy days respectively, have been continued, on account of their very high value in connection with the work of the two Observatories. To our last report six tables were appended, giving the hourly values for each month for the top of the mountain for Fort William, and for Trieste, near the head of the Adriatic, for clear and cloudy days respectively. During the year Mr.Omond has continued these most laborious calculations, so that your Committee are in a position to add four Tables to the above. The two new stations are Magdeburg, in Germany, selected because its comparatively dry climate forms an admirable contrast to the rather wet climates of Fort William and Trieste, and San José, situated in lat. 9°56' N., long. 84°0 W., and at a height of 3,756 feet above the sea. As its height approximates to that of Ben Nevis, the observations made at this Observatory, which is situated only ten degrees from the equator, form an excellent comparison with those made at the top of Ben Nevis. Tables V.-VIII. give the departures in thousandths of an inch from the daily means of the barometer at each hour of the day at Ben Nevis, Fort William, Trieste, Magdeburg, and San José, on fine or sunny days, and on cloudy or overcast days. In each case, three years have been taken, though not the same years at each station, the figures being 'bloxamed,' as in last report. San José is chiefly interesting as showing how a tropical station in a steady climate, where every reading of the barometer during the three years lay between 26.000 and 26.400 inches, with rain falling only at certain seasons, and then almost wholly confined to the afternoon hours, differs from the records of a temperature zone-station with a variable climate. This is not the place to enter on any adequate discussion of the results, but it is of importance to point out that the characteristically low morning maximum, and very high evening maximum during cloudy days at Ben Nevis, Fort William, Trieste, and Magdeburg, in all seasons, do not occur at San José in similar weather. It is, however, different as regards the two daily minima at San José, the morning minimum being distinctly larger on cloudy than on sunny days, and the afternoon minimum less. There are also marked characteristics, in cloudy weather, of the barometric pressure at Fort William and Trieste, suggesting that in such weather the temperature of the atmosphere, taken as a whole, falls to a greater extent than when the sky is clear, and tension is consequently more reduced; but that the temperature of the lower strata of the atmosphere rises to a less extent than it does in sunny weather, when the surface of the earth is screened by clouds, resulting in a reduced ascending current from the heated ground. TABLE V.-Showing at Magdeburg the Mean Hourly Variation of Pressure, in thousandths of an inch, during fine or sunny days. The minus sign shows means under the average. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. | Year TABLE VI.-Showing at Magdeburg the Mean Hourly Variation of Pressure, in thousandths of an inch, during cloudy days. The minus sign shows means under the average. Hour Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year TABLE VII.-Showing at San José the Mean Hourly Variation of Pressure, in thousandths of an inch, during fine or sunny days. The minus sign shows means under the average. TABLE VIII.-Showing at San José the Mean Hourly Variation of Pressure, in thousandths of an inch, during cloudy days. The minus sign shows means below the average. Experiments for improving the Construction of Practical Standards for THE work of testing resistance coils at the Cavendish Laboratory has been continued. A table of the coils tested is given. |