692 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH SEPTEMBER, 1880.
that I received from Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH in 1879, he enclosed for my consideration the following letter, which is from the Royal Society. It is signed by Mr. WARREN DE LA RUE, for the Kew Committee.
"I am instructed by the Kew Committee of the Royal Society to request that you will bring to the notice of the Right Honourable the Secretary of State, the favourable position occupied by the "Colony of Hongkong for certain physical observations, especially with regard to the typhoons of th "China seas, on Meteorology generally, and on Terrestrial Magnetism, with a view to a communication to Governor POPE HENNESSY and of an effort to induce the Government of that Colony to suppor: "for a limited term of years an Observatory provided with self-recording instruments.
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"Her Majesty's Government have already shown so warm an interest in the promotion of physical research, in connection with the Observatory of the Mauritius, that it is hardly necessary for the Kew “Committee to do more than point out to you the extreme importance of obtaining accurate records "of the Magnetic and Meteorological conditions of the China seas.
"Our knowledge of these facts is, at present, but scanty. The existing Observatories at which "continuous observations are taken on the Eastern Coast of Asia and the adjacent islands are--Batavia, "lat. 6 deg. 11 min. S., long, 106 deg. 40 min. E., supported by Holland. Manila, lat. 14 deg. 53 min. "N., long, 120 deg. 52 min. E., Society of Jesus. Zi Ka Wei (Shanghai), lat. 31 deg. 13 min. N.. long. 121 deg. 27 min. E., Society of Jesus. Peking, lat. 39 deg. 53 min. N., long. 116 deg. 29 "min. E., the Russian Embassy.
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Hongkong, lat. 22 deg. 15 min. N., long. 114 deg. 12 min. E., which divides the distance "between Manila and Zi Ka Wei, would form a most valuable addition to the above list.
"The India Office have recently reconstituted the Meteorological system of Hindostan on a very "extensive scale, and the Committee beg to forward herewith a letter from Mr. BLANFORD, the chief of "that organization, in which he states very clearly the great advantages which would accrue, especially "to Meteorology, from such a measure as the establishment of an Observatory at Hongkong.
"The Committee estimate the cost of instrumental outfit at about £1,000.
"The expenses of maintenance for chemicals and illumination (Gas of Paraffin) would amount in "this country to about £100 a year.
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"The staff required would be a Superintendent, with two or three Assistants. The Committee are not in a position to say what salaries would be required at Hongkong for such officials, but the "subordinate duties being such as intelligent non-commissioned officers of the army have before been "found competent to perform, they need not be very high.
"The Committee would therefore venture to hope that the Colonial Office will be pleased to for "ward this suggestion to the proper quarter, with such recommendations on the subject as they are
led to anticipate from the interest in the promotion of Science so frequently evinced by your Depart “ment; and which Governor Pore HENNESSY is so well qualified to appreciate."
In writing to Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH on the 20th November, 1879, I said—-
"I have read with much interest Mr. WARREN DE LA RUE's letter enclosed in your despatch No. "105 of August last, suggesting on behalf of the Royal Society the establishment of an Observatory'in "this Colony, more especially with reference to Meteorology and Terrestrial Magnetism. As you wer good enough to say that I might consider this question when bringing the finances of the Colony "before you, I have done so, and I venture earnestly to support Mr. DE LA RUE's suggestions, on local "as well as on Imperial grounds.
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"Two years ago, in the first Estimates I prepared in Hongkong. I took the liberty of including a "sum of $5,000 for an Observatory and Time Ball. Further consideration has convinced me that. i "addition to what may be necessary for securing an accurate Time Ball, we ought to have in this Col· ony a thoroughly efficient means of recording such physical observations as Mr. DE LA RUE refers t«, Furthermore, the clearness of the atmosphere at certain seasons would admit of a valuable record "being made of sun spots. Incidentally, such questions as the tides and the varying temperature is "the sea surrounding Hongkong, the remarkable disintegration of the granite which can be notice "almost from day to day in the island and in British Kowloon, and certain extremely slight, but
unfrequently occurring earthquake phenomena would probably be deserving also of the attention "competent observers.
"If, therefore, you will approve of my doing so, I should be glad to submit to the Financ "Committee a vote of ten thousand dollars for a general scientific Observatory. I believe such a vo "would be cheerfully supported by the majority of the Legislative Council, and that there would
no difficulty in including it in a supplementary Estimate for 1880."
Well, gentlemen, in reply to that despatch of mine the Secretary of State authorised me to deal with. the question in the Estimates that are now before you, and I have acted on that authority. With n-