COLONEL SYKESsaid, he rose to ask the President of the Board of Trade, On what footing the Meteorological Department of the Board of Trade is to be placed for the future; how far the Recommendations contained in the Report of the three scientific Meteorologists to whom the subject was referred are to be carried out; and whether the Storm Signals are to be continued in the manner the late Admiral Fitzroy used them?
SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTEI have to state, Sir, that after the death of Admiral Fitzroy a committee was appointed, consisting of gentlemen nominated by the Royal Society, a gentleman from the Hydrographic Department of the Board of Admiralty, and one of the Secretaries of the Board of Trade, to consider the position of the Meteorological Department. The result of their deliberations was that 1661 they presented a long Report, which has been laid before the House. I found when I came to the Board of Trade that no step had been taken upon it. The effect of the Report is that a recommendation was made that the Meteorological Department, wherever placed, should continue the scientific inquiries which were originally contemplated when it was first appointed, but which to a considerable extent had been suspended or not prosecuted with so much industry as they might be, in order that more might be done in the way of predicting the weather and giving notice of probable storms. The recommendations of the committee were that the scientific inquiries should be prosecuted more vigorously than hitherto, and that the Royal Society, or some similar body, should undertake the greater portion of that part of the business, the Board of Trade or the Admiralty undertaking those portions which were simply Executive. With regard to the predictions of the weather, considerable doubt has been thrown upon the utility of the old system, and the recommendation was that storms should still be predicted, but that no attempt should be made to predict the directions from which they would come. But this would involve an alteration in the whole department and a great deal of expense. It would be further necessary to communicate with the Royal Society and the Board of Admiralty on the subject of the recommendation, and also to take into consideration the question of expense. The matter, however, will be considered as soon as possible; but it is impossible to state at present what decision will be arrived at.