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reference in Australia. The longitude of Sydney Observatory having now by telegraphic signal from Greenwich on no less authority than tha of Mes« • EUjry, Buje 11 and Son W hhhe n rto "n hTs fcj amveTat Sr consultation with Sir James lector K.GMG Mr. James McKerrow, F.R.A.S., Captain Blackburne, and Mr. King, the Observer at Wellington Observatory. The results are as under- :— Longitude of Sydney Observatory by telegraphic signal (Messrs. H. m. s_ Ellery, Russell, and Todd) ■•-. . ■•■ 10 449 54 Difference Sydney and Mount Cook by telegraphic signal (Messrs. Russell and Adams) ... ••• ••• ••• Longitude of Mount Cook Initial Station ... ••• 1139 6-52 This change in the initial longitude necessarily suggests an amendment of the Admiralty charts of New Inland. A careful Comparison has therefore been made as to he coast-lmes as recorded on the Admiralty charts and on the maps resulting from the operations oi the buivey Department,which showsthat the lines of longitude should be moved relatively to the features of MTptare being prepared illustrative of the effect of the above change of longitude and the alterations due to the P trigonometrical surveys, which will be submitted in due course to the Marine Department.

APPENDIX VIII.

MAGNETIC OBSERVATORY AND MAGNETIC SURVEY. By C. Coleridge Farr, D.Sc. The past year has seen the erection of the Magnetic Observatory in Hagley Park. The history dthk institution is as follows : In 1897 Dr. Adolf Schmidt, one of the greatest authorities on ?L sub ecT pointed out the great scientific advantage which would arise from a more uniform the world, and that, while there were then between fify and sixty such institutions in the Northern Hemisphere, of which four were- m the British Isle an J five in Tanan there were only three over the whole of the Southern Hemisphere—viz., at Ba aria Mauritius, an dMdbourne-and Dr. Schmidt specially named New Zealand as being the Batavia ividuiiuiu» * meeting of the Australasian Association for tne Adtn™t of"SiS heSTn SydneylntnuT/y, l! 98, the subject of the dearth of magnetic observSLs south o the equator was touched on by Mr. Baracchi, the Governmen As™mer for the Colony of Victoria, who used the expression that the establishment of one m New Zealand" was a duty owed to the scientific world. In consequence o thTs and other remarks of a similar character by very distinguished men-Dr Schuster ?or instance who wrote of the "absolute necessity" for more attention being paid to these matte. Tn the Southern Hemisphere-a committee was appointed by the Australasian Associationatthe Sydney meeting to bring the matter of a magnetic survey of New Zealand and he estahhshmentJf a magnetic observatory before the Government of New Zealand while at the same mTthe Kew Observatory Committee of the Royal Society of London, winch has since bernateeitothe National Physical Laboratory Committee of the Royal Society, very generously nffered to assist by lending a set of absolute magnetic instruments. The objects of the AustSasL Assoc atSn Committee met with the support of Admiral Pearson, the Shipmasters Assoc a ion of New Zealand, and the Chambers of Commerce; and when the matter came before fheGov rnmentit was decided to place a sum of £500 on the estimates or, preliminary work Sth th Kew instruments, whic/were brought into the colony by ins.ru The magnetic survey of the colony was commenced early in 1899 with instra ments a°nd during \he same yea/a set of Sitz recording magnetographs was ordered to be' made under the kind supervision of Dr. Chree and Kew Observatory, and a set of absolute -magnetic instruments was also ordered. Owing to unavoidable delays chiefly owing to a large number of orders for similar instruments for India and elsewhere, and So to the pressure of work consequent on the South African war, the instruments were not received in the colony till April of the year under review, 1901, and the absolute instruments were notdeceived until March of the present year, 1902. At the commencement of the past financial veL and before the plans of the buildings to receive the instruments were completed inquiries S male byThe president of the Royal Geographical Society to ascertain whether the observltorvwoud be In readiness by the time the antarctic exploring-ship « Discovery would be m thesewlers and if so, she would make Lyttelton her port of departure instead of Melbourne as ntendldbefore it was known that a magnetic observatory was in contemplation m these Islands. As the Cnrstchurch Gardens were eminently suitable from a magnetic pomfc of view, and m fonseouence too of the fact that such a position would be readily accessible to the members of the expedition the Christchurch Domain Board were approached, and very generously gave permission to the observatory to be erected there. Mr. P. M Stewart contracted for the buildings at a total cost of £1,217 7s. Id., and he carried out the work conscientiously and well.

* Nautical Almanac, 1902, p. 600.

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