Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-21
LIEUT.. MAURY'S WIND AND CURRENT CHARTS
AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

L
The Journal Of Commerce of Tuesday has the
subjoined remarks on late debate in the British
House Of Lords, published in our paper of Satur
day last,) in reference to the scheme of Lieut.
MAuRY to improve the art Of navigation, &C., II
which the cooperation of the British Government
had been invited:
We perceive by the fifth edition Of the Sailing Drec
tons, by which the results of that splendid system
physical research is accompanied that all the maritime
nations Of the world have been invited by the United
States Government To cooperate with the American ship
masters in making observations at sea- and in keeping
abstract logs for the wind and current charts and that
with the view of enistng the services Of private ship
masters under foreign flags in this undertaking, Lieut.
Maury IS authorized by the Secretary Of the Navy
place the merchant service of all friendly nations upon
the same footing with regard to the wind and curren
charts which American shpmasers occupy; j. O., every
captain whatever be his flag, villa be furnished with
copy OF this splendid work. provided he agree to keep
and send to the National Observatory at Washington
abstract log of his voyages
So that If English merchant captains be made Of the
stuff that American shpmasters are, Lieut. Maury will
count among his corps of coaborers the elite of the
commercial marine only of Great Britain, but of the
world. He will have the largest corps Of observers
operating with him in tire investigation of physical pro-
1t is therefore the commercial marine but the
operation of the British navy in this system Of research
to which Lord Wrottesey probably referred for we I'M
derstand that the American Minister at that Court
we'll Ministers the principal maritime Powers
Of Europe have been instructed to invite the coopera
ton Of their navies in this beautiful investigation to
the winds and currents Of the sea-
The results of this joint labor Of love for the benefit
of the world for who in the world is not benefited di
recty Indirectly by the results of that patient labor
which lessons the danger of the sea- and aids
and navigation This the works of Lieut.. Maury have
done and are abundantly doing.
The invitation therefore, which the American Minis
ter in London authorized to convey, that Of
fcer of the British navy might authorized confer
with Lieut. Maury to the best form of the abstract
log to be kept board of the Of both
vices, stating that The proposition had for It's object 5cnef,
the and navigation Of The aeorld That being for
the good had in nothing exclusively advantage
any nation, but for The benefit Of all alike who
The study its phenomena.
Such the purport of the correspondence to which
Lord Wrotesey probably alluded, and to which he in
vited the attention of Government
And now the strange part. The British Gov
ernmen has shown itself to be ready not to say
ambitious take the lead in great schemes of physical
research Several years ago. II our memory serves us
right that Government invited this to have certain tidal
observations made in connection with the researches of
British subject and officers of the navy stationed
along the coast from Maine to Georgia making the
qured observations.
Then there was the famous magnetic move, when CO.
operation part again invited and again given
Finally, and but short time since, learn from
IL, fifth edition Maurys Sailing Directions, the British
Minister in Washington directed to request that this
Government would make change in its system of
neurological observations the land and instruct the
officers in its service observe according plan that
had just been adopted by the Inspector of Notifications
for observing at nineteen British military posts
Here then invited to abandon plan of obser-
walton which had been introduced into the army by Mr.
Calhoun in 1916, and which had been pursuing sys-
tematcay for nearly forty years. and which had been
adopted greater less extent by the institutions and
meteoroogsts of the country generally Nevertheless
invited to give all these, at the risk of throw
ing the meteorological observations throughout the
try and hundreds of stations into confusion for year
or two at leasa for the sake of cooperating with the
English Government at nineteen of its stations?
The reply of Mr.. Webster in effect: Make the plan
universal; include the well the land invite all
nations to adopt it. to the FORMS and we will
join in il with the greatest pleasure.
This amendment went back to the British Government
and by it referred the Council of the Royal Soce
ty for advice.
The advice was to abandon the British proposition
to give up the land accept the American amendment,
and adopt uniform plan for log books at
There is something curious after all this in the great
and caution which has suddenly seized the Earl Of
Granville We have how jealous the British Govern
ment has been in matters of this before But the
MOMENT propositioh comes tns sde Oh
the water there to- with it wet blankets and
all sorts of chilling influences that create caution and
reserve
Surely the Earl of Granville cannot be jealous Of Yam
kee Navy Lieutenant. If he is gallant officers Of the
Royal Navy are not. Admiral Seymour has, with his
feet been cooperating in collecting materials for Lieut.
Maury's wind and current charts. So also did Lord
Cochrane his predecessor the North American sta
ton. And why not the whole English Navy Oh no.
1t is an American proposition We thought the days Of
jealousy had gone by and that these were the times of
generous rivalry and manly emulation in noble doings
such is the proposition which the American Govern
has authorized to be made to the maritime nations
Of the world.