'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎20] (35/496)

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this it was intimated, that the Society would be placed in direct communication
with Captain Haines at Aden, and with the Superintendent of the Colaba Ob
servatory ; that the 3rd para of the first letter did not accord with the informa
tion in possession of Government, and had been referred to the proper quarter for
explanation ; and that it was deemed most expedient for all parties to commence
operations with the 1 st January 1848.
On the correspondence being read, the Revd. Geo. Pigott called attention to
the following portion of the Secretary’s first letter, referred to by Col. Melvill: a
portion of it that applied to the Tide Gauges had been corrected in the second one:
— (e Letters also since then received from Mr Moyes, make us aware that he has
for many months suffered from want of instructions ; that he has repeatedly writ
ten on the subject but received no reply ; and that he is at this moment ignorant
who his superior is.”
Of this Mr Pigott entirely disapproved, as casting improper reflections on
Captain Montriou, keeper of the Observatory, who was made to appear neglectful
of the duty of keeping Mr Moyes provided with the necessary schedules and
instructions.
Captain Jenkins called the attention of the Meeting to the following extract
from the report of the proceedings of the last meeting of the Society contained in
the Bombay Times of the 6 th November It was quite clear from the letters of
Mr Moyes, that though he was in no way to blame, so far as science was ad
vantaged he might as well have been with his regiment : twenty months’ ob
servations, which otherwise might have been available, were utterly worthless.”
The Society was thus made to cast reflections on Mr Montriou which they
had not cast on him. He (Captain J enkins) had reason to believe that the remark
had occasioned much pain ; and in observing, six weeks afterwards,® a statement
similar in effect in the memorandum of the Secretary already referred to, he had
made enquiry, and was informed that the complaint of Mr Moyes was groundless
he having been provided with all the schedules and instructions desired by him.
In reference to the newspaper report, it was explained that it was nof
given on the authority of the Society : that the passage complained of was part of
some verba observations which had been made by the Society, and which it did
not appear that any one concurred in : that in the minutes of the Society, the only
documents with which they had to do, no allusion to Captain Montriou was made,
and that nothing could be more inconvenient than for the Society to deal with
til aTh r 7° r f 0 Z WhlCh they had n ° C01ltr01 ’ 33 bea ™S the sanction of
h .r authonty. dn evdence of the good faith in which the statement was made,
the let ers of Mr Moyes were produced. The Secretary also remarked that
waen toe memoranda were circulated, it was with the express view of obtain.
Ihat he mlr en !l ° which the Secretary was bound to act:
hat t e memo andum m winch the passage objected to when embodied in the letter
act on it 0 f t 1 ^ ; ^ aPP1 ' 0Ved ° f ^ th6 C °mmiUee authorized to
ShL hTrt b'e Iw SUbSWibed hiS nam9 at length. Had the
ightest hint been given that there was anything contained in it which was aues-
Chairml 3 X 7^1 ^ afcte “ ti0,110 “ ^ haVe been The
that the memorandum, with the minute appended, was sufficient