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8. A new cable was laid across the harbour in the spring of 1890, and the Observatory is now in direct connection with the Offices of the Telegraph Companies. That was of course the principal defect in connection with the immediate utility of the observations, and no improvement could take effect without it. It is to be regretted that the cable was not laid in 1883.-The signalman's house on the Peak is now in telephonic connection with the Central Police Station in Victoria and the Observatory is in telephonic connection with the Police Station at Kowloon Point, where the storm- signals are hoisted. With reference to improvements in the issue of weather intelligence consequent upon the laying of the cable, the notice reprinted as " Appendix A," to this report may be consulted.

9. Telegraphic connection with Victoria was interrupted on the 15th May from 12.15

till 2.25 P., on the 16th May, from 10.6 a. till 11.35 a., from 2.0 p. on the 13th June till 8.37 a., on the 14th, from 2.40 p. on the 13th September till 1.35 p., on the 15th, and from 3.45 p., on the 8th December till 11.25 a. on the 10th. It was of course also interrupted during thunderstorms.

*

10. The China Coast Meteorological Register, based on information received direct from the Eastern Extension and Great Northern Telegraph Companies, was issued daily (Sundays and Govern- ment Holi lays excepted). It contains at present telegrams (corrected and reduced) from Wladivostock, *Tokio, *Nagasaki, *Shanghai (Harbour Office), Foochow, Amoy, Anping, *Swatow, Victoria Peak, Canton, *Macao, Hoihow, Haiphong, *Bolinao, Manila and Cape Saint James. The stations furnished with an asterisk issue the best telegrams. A summary of the weather expected in this part of China is appended as well as information concerning the first appearance and progress of typhoons and a full account of all meteorological signals and storm-warnings issued during the previous 24 hours.

11. Whenever the staff in the Observatory allows it to be done, it will be necessary to have the most important telegraphic reporting stations inspected. That is done annually at home. It is eight years since I had an opportunity of inspecting them and some of them I have not visited at all.

12. With reference to the twelfth paragraph of my annual report for 1889, (dated the 24th April, 1890), the First Assistant was away on sick leave since the middle of November 1889, and has not yet returned, and the Second Assistant, resigned a few weeks later in order to accept of a better appoint- ment elsewhere. I was thus left without assistants and had to do the work as well as it could be effected with the help of two young Chinese Clerks. Under the circumstances I endeavoured before all to secure the continuation of the hourly readings and meteorological observations without break. How far I have succeeded in this can be gathered from the following pages. I do not claim that the last decimal of the figures is as nearly accurate as in previous years, but all tabulations and calculations have been made in duplicate by Chinese in my presence, and carefully checked. It is proper to mention that the credit for this is greatly due to Mr. Ho TOSHANG, who also read the proofsheets of the "Observations made in 1889." He has since been promoted to be Second Assistant, and at the date of writing this report the monthly weather reports are ready for press up to date.

13. It proved impossible to find suitable acting assistants locally, except in so far as an Electrical Engineer, after a month's training, was able to assist in the time-service and to drop the time-ball since July last. The ball had not been dropped for half a year. However the ball has repeatedly stopped since, when he, either through ill-bealth or other causes did not attend. He holds another position in Hongkong, which mainly occupies his time. The dropping of the time-ball is the duty of the First Assistant. The natives are useless for such work.

14. Mr. J. I. PLUMMER, formerly Astronomer in charge of Colonel TOMLINE'S Observatory at Orwell Park, who is so favourably known from his observations of comets, joined me on the 1st May, 1891, as Chief Assistant.

15. Mr. ROBERTS, Chief Assistant in the Nautical Almanac Office, is carrying out the harmonic analysis of the hourly readings of tides in 1887 and 1888 taking into account five hitherto omitted terms, for which he has now adapted his tide-predicting machine. He intends to use the results for future predictions of tides in this port. The tide-gauge has been handed over to the Inspector General of Chinese Customs, who desires to have it worked for a year or two in each one of the treaty ports of China. It would of course have been impossible to work it properly here after the assistants went away.

16. During 1890, in addition to meteorological registers kept at about 40 stations on shore, the logs of 42 different vessels containing entries on 694 days (counting those made on board different ships on the same date separately) are available. 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 Observatory, and Commanders of Foreign vessels of war send such observations as are requested direct, or through the Commodore.-28 log-books or extracts of