'The Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society. From January 1863 to December 1864. (Edited by the Secretary.) Volume XVII.' [‎289] (466/524)

OF THE 92TH APRIL 1864.
been done, and that the labour of collecting and calculating further
and future Seismologues will be in a great degree thrown awav, unless
the cultivators of science of all countries, in conjunction with the
scientific bodies and the scientific departments of the chief civilized
Governments of the world, shall unite in agreeing to some one uniform
system of Seismic observation, and record and transmit the results
periodically to a central bureau for discussion. What has been done
for Astronomy and for Terrestrial Magnetism is beginning to be done
for Meteorology, and through the suggestive labours of Maury, Bache,
and others for maritime discovery, ought to be done now for Seis
mology, whose chief requirements could be readily added to those alreadv
supposed to be systimatized from Maury’s proposals, as well as to
those long in course in the Astronomical, Magnetic, and Meteorological
observations of the world.”
The spread of the net of Telegraphic wires rapidly over the whole
earth offers facilities for the observation of earthquake phenomena, in
which time always enters a so important an element never before
possessed. It is to he regretted that Mr. Mallet’s appeal has not met
with all the success it has deserved. Observations continue to be made,
but not with that systematic exactitude, nor with the knowledge of the
elements necessar} 7 , as to place at the disposal of the Physicist all that
otherwise might be produced from such labours.
This becomes manifest from the various attempts by observers in
general and by correspondents of newspapers in particulai, in describ
ing their observations, the main feature of such being, geneially, their
utter want of uniformity in details, and ignorance ot what it is desirable
should be observed respecting such phenomena. An instance lately
occurred where a writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. , in contributing his observations to the
London Times stated, that 1 ‘ he felt something which he thought
must have been an earthquake, and that he got up and immediately
lighted a candle.” Mr. Mallet, in an article lately written by him in
the Quarterly Journal of Science on the subject of Earthquakes, conn
ments humourously on this, by saying, the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. might have a e s
that in this case he did not put it under a bushel . and goes on to
say.— <c The pseudo-scientific communications chiefly lecoid tie exact
state of barometer and thermometer at the moment of shock, facta
now known to be nearly as irrelevant as the pnce of comols ti e r/
before—so much for the observers of the wegb
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