The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-08 00:00:00

IMPROVEMENT OF NAVIGATION.

At the maritime conference lately held at Brussels, for
the purpose of devising an uniform system of meteoro-
logical observations at sea, some very interesting papers
were discussed. At this conference Great Britain was
represented by Captain F. W. Beechy, R.N., F.R.S.,
and member of the naval department of the Board of
Trade, and by Captain Henry James, of the Royal En-
gineers, F.R.S., &c. ; the United States were repre-
sented by Lieutenant M. F. Maury, LL.D., of the
United States navy ; France was represented by M.
Delamarche, hydrographic engineer of the Imperial
marine ; Russia, by Alexis Gorkovenko, captain-lieuten-
ant of the Imperial navy ; Belgium was represented by
M. Queteler, director of the Royal Observatory, and by
Captain Victor Lahure, director-general of the Belgium
marine ; Denmark, by Captain-Lieutenant P. Rothe,
director of the depot of marine charts ; Holland, by M.
If. Jansen, lieutenant of the royal navy ; Norway, by
Nils Ihlen, lieutenant of the royal navy ; Portugal, by
J. de Mattos Correa, captain-lieutenant of the royal
navy ; and Sweden by Carl Anton Pattersson, first
lieutenant of the Swedish navy.
The conference, composed of these distinguished re-
presentatives of the nautical science of the great mari-
time nations of Europe and America, held its first meet-
ing at the residence of the Minister of the Interior at
Brussels, on the 23d of August, 1853, when M. Quetelet
was unanimously elected president of the Conference,
Lieutenant Maury having declined that honourable post.
The Conference continued its sittings almost daily until
the 7th of September, by which time it had agreed on a
complete plan and form of observations to be made on
board the national vessels of all the countries repre-
sented in the Conference, in whatever part of the world
they may be stationed, and on board all the merchant
vessels of those nations whose captains and owners are
willing to co-operate in collecting information of so
much value to themselves and others. The points of
information which the Conference considered it to be
necessary to collect, and record in separate columns,
were as follows :

Ist column—The day of the observation. This they
decided should be the civil day, from midnight to mid-
night. If astronomical time is used, the fact of its use
is to be stated at the beginning of the log. _

2d column—The hours of observations, All the even
hours of the twenty-four are given in the printed form,
and also the hours 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The hours 4 a.m.,
9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., and 8 p.m., are printed in larger
type in the log, to indicate that it is at those hours the ob-
servations are principally required.

3d column.—The latitude by observation.
4th column.—The latitude by dead reckoning.
sth column.—The longitude by observation.
6th column.—The longitude by dead reckoning.
Especial care should be taken to obtain the latitude
and longitude at 4 a.m., at noon, and at 8 p.m., and
when the ship is expected to cross or enter upon any of
the great streams and currents of the ocean, the trade,
or periodical winds.
7th column.—The direction of currents.

Bth column.—The rate of currents.

On ordinary occasions the currents should be deter-

mined at noon each day ; but, besides the daily entry at
noon, the rate and direction of currents should be no-
ticed at shorter intervals, when the ship is in the vicinity
of the great oceanic currents, or when it is supposed
that the currents may sensibly vary in the 24 hours.
9th column.—Magnetic variations in degrees and mi-
nutes. The variation should be corrected for local attrac-
tion ; and it is desirable that every vessel should be pro-
vided with a standard compass, with which all the ob-
servations for variation should be made.
10th column.—Direction of the wind.
11th column. —Force of the wind.

The direction and force of the wind should be entered
three times in the 24 hours, namely at 4 a.m., at noon,
and at 8 p.m. The force and direction should be those
most, prevalent during the eight preceding hours. If there
are squalls, the force should be given in a parenthesis,
opposite the hours at which they take place.

12th column.—The state of the barometer. This
should be observed, if possible, at all the hours given in
column 2, and at least at 4 and 9 a.m., and 3 and 8 p.m.

13th column.—The state of the thermometer. This
should be observed at the same time as the barometer.

14th and 15th columns.—The dry and wet bulb ther-
mometer should be observed, at the same hours as the
barometer.

16th column.—The form and direction of the clouds
should be observed and noted at least at 4 a.m., at noon,
and at 8 p.m.

17th column.—The proportion of the sky clear should
be indicated by figures from oto 10. Thus 8 indicates
that 8-10 of the sky is clear.
18th column.—Fog, rain, snow and hail. The num-
ber of hours of fog, rain, snow, and hail in the eight
preceding hours should be noted at 4 a.m., at noon, and
at 8 p.m.

19th column.—The state of the sea, during the eight
preceding hours, should be stated at 4 a.m., at noon,
and at 8 p.m.
20th column.—The temperature of the water at the
surface.

21st column.—The specific gravity of the water at the
surface.

22d column.— The temperature of the water at diffe-
rent depths. There are certain regions where the differ-
ence between the temperature at the surface and the
temperature at certain depths have a particular interest,
as the region of the trade winds, the Indian Ocean, the
Cape of Good Hope, and especially in the Legulla cur-
rents, and near the mouths of great rivers.
Such are the points of information which will hence-
forth be collected by the national vessels of England, the
United States, France, Holland, and all the other na-
tions which were represented at the Conference, and by
the higher class of merchant vessels belonging to this or
other nations. Supposing this plan to be followed up
steadily for even ten years, millions of facts will have
been observed, recorded, classified, and compared ; and
many general laws will have been deduced from these
facts with reference to the direction of the winds, the
force and direction of the currents of the ocean, and the
action of that strange mysterious power which we call
magnetism, which will not only add to the amount of
our scientific knowledge, but will prove of daily use to
the navigators of all nations.—Liverpool Times.

FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE of YESTERDAY.

FOREIGN-OFFICE, 00T. 22.
The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. G. Beckx
as Vice-Consul at Melbourne, Australia, for his Majesty
the King of the Belgians.

BOARD OF TRADE, WHITEHALL, OCT. 3.
The Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of
the Privy,Council for Trade and Plantations have received,
through the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, from
her Majesty's Mission at Naples, the annexed translations
of a Neapolitan decree increasing the period for the free
importation of grain into the Neapolitan dominions.
By order, , J. EMERSON TENNENT.