878 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 17TH NOVEMBER, 1883.
13. His Excellency the Governor has already offered Sir ROBERT HART the co-operation of the Hongkong Observatory, which is, owing to its (in meteorological respects) un-equalled situation, its connection with a high level station on Victoria Peak, and its telegraphic connection with other meteorological centres, the very best place to form a centre for the meteorological service of China, of which it is physically a part, and His Excellency does not see any objection to allow me to act as Meteorological Reporter to the Imperial Maritime Customs of China.
14. In the event of Sir ROBERT HART deciding to make use of my services here, the Commissioner of Customs, Amoy, informed me, that he will suggest that the monthly meteorological registers be sent to me direct from Kiungchow, Pakhoi and Canton, that the monthly registers from Swatow to Ningpo (including lighthouses and stations in Formosa) be sent to me through the Commissioner of Customs, Amoy, and that the monthly registers from the more northern stations and from those on the Yangtze-kiang, be sent to me through the Commissioner of Customs, Shanghai.
15. I would venture to suggest that His Excellency should secure for me Sir ROBERT TA permission to communicate with him direct, in the event of any neglect of duty being exhibited by the observers in connection with their meteorological work.
16. I have not yet had an opportunity of verifying all the instruments belonging to the Imperial Maritime Customs, but have verified the greater portion of those that are suitable for making trust- worthy observations, and I am prepared to give my advice concerning the manner in which they ought
to be distributed.
17.. Whenever the monthly registers are sent to me, the first step to be taken will be to apply the corrections that the respective instruments require, as well as temperature corrections and reduc- tions to sea level, etc.
18. The registers should then be revised by ine, in order to discover, and as far as possible correct any mistakes made by the observers.
19. The observations should then be discussed: daily weather maps constructed, and conclusions drawn from the registers at each separate station, as well as from a comparison of the different registers.
20. I would venture to suggest that all the registers thus reduced and revised should be periodic- ally (if possible every month) published in Shanghai, by order of the Inspector General of the Imperial Maritime Customs, with a preface by myself embodying the results of my discussion of the observations, accompanied by the most interesting weather maps.
21. The Inspector General would no doubt make all the observations and the conclusions drawn from them accessible to meteorologists by liberally presenting to them copies of the Imperial Maritime Customs Meteorological Report, which would assist them in the investigation of typhoons and other phenomena, and I would especially recommend that the Governments of Singapore, Hongkong, Japan- and Russia, as well as the private observatories at Zi-ka-wei and Manila, should be favoured with these reports at the earliest opportunity.
22. To communicate the registers, to any individual before they were properly corrected, reduced, revised and discussed, would be most objectionable, and would in fact jeopardise the whole scheme. Besides, conclusions drawn from such observations are untrustworthy and tend to retard the progress
of science.
23. With reference to telegraphic weather intelligence and storm warnings, referred to in your letters of the 30th July and 23rd August ultimo, I have the honour to inform you that the Directors of the Great Northern and of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Companies have promised me their support, in gratuitously sending meteorological messages between Hongkong and Manila, Amoy, Foochow, Shanghai, Wladiwostock and Nagasaki.
24. I propose that the observations should be corrected and reduced by me before they are given to the public, and that they should be eventually accompanied by weather forecasts and storm warnings. 25. I have had the honour, in accordance with the instructions contained in your letter (3rd paragraph) of the 23rd August ultimo, to recommend to the authorities at the Treaty Ports that tide-gauges resp. river-ganges, be erected there and at some of the lighthouses, and that hourly records be kept for a space of two years, and I have had the honour to give my opinion to several of the Commissioners of Customs concerning the best way of fixing their tide-gauges.
26. I have had the honour to explain to the authorities with whom I have communicated that the object of the Hongkong Government is the general benefit of all who trade in these waters
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
W. DOBERCE,
Government Astronomer.
The Honourable THE COLONIAL SECRETARY,
go
jc.,
&c.
Hongkong.
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