'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎22] (43/458)

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY.
From Government, granting the services of Mr. Mayes.
Papers on Meteorological Observations.
From O&conada for the months of September and October.
From Cuddalore for October 1850.
From Calcutta for ditto.
From the Observatory at Trevandrum for September 1850.
From Assistant Surgeon Wiehe, Sattara, for October.
From Kurrachee for August, September and October 1850.
From Poona for September and October 1850.
It was stated in reference to the letter of Government sanctioning the request of the
Society in reference to the services of Mr. Mayes, that Mr. Mayes was now busily occupied
in passing his own observations through the press—of late he had prepared a table of the
fall of rain throughout the whole year for all parts of India, in so far as observations on the
subject extended, and that he would probably proceed to Kurrachee in charge of the tide-
gauge stand which had been made at the School of Industry by order of the Military Board,
and there get matters started,—the difficulty generally experienced in such things being
that of making a beginning. He would proceed to Aden as early as possible, and bring away
all the instruments not required for the use of the civil surgeon at the station, who would
hereafter conduct observations for the use of Government on a more restricted plan. The
Secretary stated that at a former meeting, at which he was not present, it had been suggested
that Government should be asked to afford Mr. Mayes a free passage to wherever his services
were required : had he been present, he would have pointed out that Government had promised,
so far back as 1846, to give any one the Society might depute to any station whatever where an
observatory w'as proposed to be established, a free passage, provided any of their vessels were
proceeding to the port: there was no occasion to make a fresh application, as there was no
doubt that the promise then made, on which it had never been found requisite to act, would be
fulfilled the moment it was recommended to Government: it would be time enough to do so
when Mr. Mayes was ready to start. Of the three large wind-gauges that would be at command
when the Aden establishment had been broken up, and the disposal of which had been entrusted
by Government to the Society, one had been recommended by the committee on physical
research to be sent to Poona,—the other two remained to be alloted to some other localities.
Commander Jenkins stated that in a correspondence he had lately had with Mr. Daniel
Webster, of the United States, much anxiety was expressed for information as to the tides andl
winds at Zanzibar, with the view of tracing what connexion existed betwixt them and those at
the Mauritius, and how they were influenced by disturbances in the hurricane tract. It was
stated in reply, that the Society had been much disappointed in not having been able to
communicate with the Apothecary lately sent from Bombay to Zanzibar,—who had left the
presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. before they were aware of his intended departure: it was their wish to have had
observations both there and at Johana, where assistance was at their command, right in the
tract enquired after by Mr. Webster—in this hitherto they had been disappointed. The Secre
tary was directed to address the British Resident at Zanzibar, Major Hamerton, on the subject,
and make him aware of the plans and wishes of the Society, and request his influence with the
Imaum, with a view to their promotion. He was desired also to communicate with Mr. Mel-
drum, Royal College, Mauritius, who had already written him on the subject of instruments,
and with the Secretary of the Ceylon Society, with the view to securing their co-operation.
On placing the paper by Colonel Sykes, just published in the Philosophical Transactions, before