262
9. Information has been supplied to the Royal Engineers, the Royal Navy, the Imperial Maritime Customs of China, the Public Works and the Medical Departments, the Harbour Office and to masters of vessels trading in the Chinese Seas.
10. All necessary repairs to buildings were made by the Public Works Department last autumn, and the Honourable S. BROWN, Surveyor General, introduced several improvements of great value, but the building is at present too small for the purpose. This is a serious drawback, as it lessens the amount of work that can be done here. Even the transit-room has to be used for tabulation and drawing.
11. Among scientific men who visited the Observatory may be mentioned Professors MICHIE SMITH and S. A. HILL from India and Mr. WADA from Tokio.
12. The sudden snap of cold weather that set in during November caused a great deal of sickness in Kowloon and it became nearly impossible to continue the records without interruption.
13. The following papers were published in Europe in the course of the past year:--
"The Law of Storms in China," (Nature, Vol. XXXIX, p. 301).
"Rainfall in China in 1888," (Quart. Journ. R. Met. Sac. Vol. XV, No. 72.)
"Sunshine in Formosa in 1888."
Meteorological Observations made at Ichang and South Cape in 1888."
"Mean pressure of the air in Iloilo" (Philippines) (Meteorologische Zeitschrift. VI p. 156). A larger investigation of the climate of Hongkong from five years' observations on which much work has been expended is now nearly ready for press besides some papers of minor importance. Professor HANN in Vienna, who had previously published monthly means of air-pressure in Hongkong in which several years of observations made by the Royal Engineers were added to the series given in "Observations and Researches made during the year 1884" and who has also harmonically analysed the hourly means of air-pressure obtained during the last few years, has published an investigation of the rainfall in Hongkong on the basis of the hourly readings taken here from the beginning of 1884 till the end of 1888.
14. The volunteer, who last year contributed observations of crepuscular rays, observed during a portion of the past year the spectroscopic rain-band every morning at 10a. The figures from the 12th June till the 8th July were entered on the Peak. By comparing the intensity of the band (0-5) with the rainfall during the subsequent 24 hours, printed in inches and decimals beside the intensity of the rainband, it was noticed that intensities 0 and 1 forecast absence of rain very accurately, and that intensities 4 and 5 forecast as a rule very wet weather, the latter indication moreover being frequently followed by great thunderstorms, that cannot be otherwise forecast from local observations. The following record from which the annual variation of the band is seen to be great, is therefore interesting. TABLE I.
Rain-band in Hongkong in 1889.
Date.
April.
May.
June.
1,
4 0.11 3 0.24
2,
0.88 3
3,
2
2
4,
5,
0.07 2
2.36 1 0.00
6,
4
0.08 2
7,
0.10
2
0.11
8,
0.01
9,
10,
2
11,
2
12,
3
13,
3 0.03
0.01
14,
2
IN N N N AN 65 + 60 60 N N N
2
0.07
2
0.65
0.09
1
0.85
0.01 3 3.99 1
July.
August.
September.
October. November. December.
0.09
0
0.55 3 0.53
4 0.16 3 0.01 3 0.01
0.71
0.29
0.09
2
0.24
1.23
0.01 0.01
2
0.06
5
2.58
2.10
2
0.39 1
2
0.01 2 0.01
0.01
1.23
0.04
0.01
0.29
0.01 5
1.84
3 0.06
0.08
0.09
0.04
0.69
0.02
2
0.75 2
2
1
2
0.21
3
0.52
0.36
1
4
2.48
1
15,
0.57 2
4 0.13.
4 2.65
16, 17,
2 0.01
2.61
0.94
0.04
0.05
1.10
?
0.21
0.53
0.83
1.94
18,
? 0.22 3 4.83
0.23 3 0.26
4 0.12
19,
20,
?
5 2.07
0.36 3 0.01
4
0.03
2
5 1.95
0.03 1 0.04
0.38
0.18
0
21,
? 1.29
4 1.42
0.20 2 0.25
1.97
0.13
22,
23,
1.55 0.05
0.41 3 0.04
0.42
4
0.10
0.43
24,
? 0.10
3 0.02
0.07 3 0.02 0.53 2
0.04 2
0.71
2.18
0 06
4
0.06
-25,
?
3 1.71
2
0.55 3 0.09
0.01
0.95
0.45 3
0.01
26,
27,
28,
29,
30, 31,
E *ཐཾf, "ཀ》 "་
4 0.43
0.18
2
4
0.82
3.16
0.08
? 0.02
2
0.01
4 0.73 2
6.06
3 1.31
4
0.16
0.01
1
? 5.50 5 22.86
4
1.47
4.53
0.18 3 0.51 2 0.24
3
0.55
0.29
2
0.03
0.04 0.10
4 0.92
3 0.02 0.01
I
Meau,... 2.6
2.8
2.6
2.0
2.7
2.2
2.7
0.18
1.8
--~~~OOO
2
----
1.0