'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From January 1863 to December 1864. (Edited by the Secretary.) Volume XVII.' [‎94] (123/524)

proceedings of the
half years upwards of three hundred thousand observations had been
made, corrected, recorded, and prepared for publication ; and Govern,
ment was pleased on six several occasions to express their approbation of
his exertions. On the 14th November 1845, Sir David Brewster, i n
moving the thanks of the St. Andrew’s Philosophical Society to Dr,
Buist, states—That he had much occasion to correspond with the
Observatories in all parts of Europe, organized for like purposes with
that of Bombay, and that no where in England, no where on the Con
tinent had he seen anything like so large an amount of work done as
had been carried out by Dr. Buist.” In addition to the astronomical
department, Dr. Baist organized and introduced an extensive system
of tidal and meteorological observations, from Cape Comorin to the
Bed Sea. Besides these labours, immediately bearing upon the
Observatory, Dr. Buist volunteered, while in charge of it, to give lec
tures on Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and Natural History to the
voung Officers of the Indian Navy.”
While at Oxford Mr. Orlebar tried to make out the empirical laws
of the variations in declination for the shorter periods, and his results
appear to agree generally with the movements of the needle in South
ern Europe. But the observations to which he applied his formulae
extend over a short period only, and owing to this and to the smallness
of the differences at the hours of the maxima and minima, compared
with the variations of other times, it became difficult to fix the turning
hours with accuracy.
The volume now laid before the Society is the twentieth that has
been printed, and contains the observations of last year.
The magnetical observations are taken hourly for declination, horizon
tal, and vertical forces. From these are determined the absolute hori
zontal and vertical forces and the computed dip. The inclination is
also observed with a dip circle about 11 in the forenoon twice a week.
Once a month term-day observations are taken about once in every five
minutes, and when occasional disturbances occur, observations are made
at intervals of 15 minutes.
The meteorological observations are more numerous, and are made
hourly for the weight, temperature, dew-point, humidity, and electrical
condition of the air; the temperature of the ground at 1 and 9 inches
below the surface, the direction and force of the wind, the quantity of