HONGKONG.
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE OBSERVATORY FOR 1889.
261
No. 13
Presented to the Legislative Council, by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government.
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HONGKONG OBSERVATORY,
24th April, 1890.
90.
SIR, My fifth volume of observations and researches was published early in spring last year and I have the honour to submit herewith my sixth volume in manuscript as ordered by His Excellency the Governor. It consists in addition to this, the annual departmental report, of the usual annual synopsis of meteorological and magnetic meaus and extremes. Then follow the usual twelve monthly reports for 1889, as ordered by the Secretary of State, on 120 pages. Appendix 4. contains hourly readings of tides for 1887 and 1888 as well as the mean sea level obtained therefrom.
2. Curves from the automatic tide-gauge for 1889 are available and will be read off whenever assistants can be spared for such work.
3. Owing to the necessity of having meteorological observations made hourly from 7a. till 10p. inclusive and work connected with weather intelligence, storm-warnings, and tidal observations, which have been by degrees added by me with the approval of the Governor to the work ordered by the Secretary of State, and none of which latter may be discontinued, the staff is so hard worked that I ventured last summer to call His Excellency's attention to the necessity for appointing another European as chief assistant. His assistance would also be available during bad weather connected with typhoons, when as a rule the native assistants desert, as might be expected from them, and he would assist in collecting information about typhoons. Such an appointment would enable His Excellency to grant leaves of absence to which the officials are entitled. This is at present impossible without stop- ping some of the work, as substitutes cannot be found to act for half of the small salaries available.
4. Direct and efficient telegraphic connection with the Telegraph Companies' Offices in Queen's Road and also with the station at Victoria Peak, which are absolutely necessary for the issue of local storm-warnings, have been ordered and will probably be ready for use during next typhoon-season.
5. Very important returns are received monthly from South Cape (Formosa),-the most important meteorological station in the Far East. Telegraphic information from there would make a great advance in the storm-warnings but the necessary connections have not yet been established by the Chinese authorities. Meantime I receive messages from Anping, which although irregular and liable to inter- ruption are of some importance. Returns from South Cape would not only furnish negative evidence in case of typhoons in the China Sea but would enable the isobars to be projected more exactly. It is to be remarked that observations made in Formosa and in Luzon are generally of comparatively inferior value owing to wind-deflection caused by the high mountain-chains, that form the backbones of those islands. This is more especially the case in Northern Formosa and telegrams from there would be only misleading but as proved in my paper in Nature referred to below, the returns from South Cape are usually not at all affected by the hills. For the exact determination of the situation of the centre of a typhoon raging in the China Sea, the latter should be by degrees surrounded by telegraphic reporting stations.
6. During a stay in June in the Government Pavilions at the Peak, which I had not before visited, I made observations, which shewed the importance of the signal-station for meteorological records but unfortunately also indicated that those kept there at present are not at all sufficient.
I introduced some
minor improvements and reported to the Governor concerning the extension required. His Excellency took my suggestions into consideration but deferred the final decision. The case is that a certain kind of typhoons is indicated much earlier at the Peak than in the Observatory, near sea level, so that information from there would be a great help for the issue of early warnings. This has been fully explained in the paper in Nature referred to below.
7. A self-recording anemometer, rain-gauge, and sunshine recorder (duplicates of the apparatus in Hongkong) have been erected by the Imperial Maritime Customs at South Cape, Formosa, and the curves are received regularly. A similar station is wanted at the Peak. Major-General PALMER, R.E.; foresaw this many years ago and recommended an anemograph in his ably written report.
8. Some further information concerning the typhoons of 1888 has been collected, but the data are not yet complete. With reference to the past year in addition to observations made at over 40 stations on shore, the logs of 93 different vessels containing entries on 1216 days (counting those made on board different ships on the same date separately) are available. A number of log-books have of course been looked through without entries bearing on typhoons having been found. By order of His Excellency the Admiral, Commander-in-Chief, a copy of all meteorological observations made on board men-of-war belonging to the squadron stationed in these seas are sent to the Observ- atory and Commanders of foreign vessels of war send such observations as are requested direct or through the Commodore.-86 log-books or extracts of log-books were received through the Harbour Master's Office, 44 direct from the Captains or Owners, and 5 were copied on board ship in the harbour. Owing to the illness of one of the assistants it was impossible for me to have log-books inspected on board ship since October, so that the information available is not yet complete.