The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-08-27
LIEUT.. MAvNy At LIVERPOOL.
STATEMENTS or Mr.. TowsoN
THE ESTION SETTLED,
&C., Co., DO.

oua"e nuu snip owners OF this town many OF thom
with the mercantile associations, met In
eue cHuncilro0m, TO hear from Lieutenant Maury an
e1pansiion OF his views on the sub ect OF system
o. simultaneous meteorological observad tons for Civ
| nR adatioha speed aud safety to navigation. Lieu
tenant Maury Is superintendent az the American Ma
uonai observatory at Washington. and Is the author
o. 'ne WHO ana current chart published BY order of
we amencan Congress. He arrived here a few days
| agonom America. In the steamship Pacific. and il
on ma way TO Brussels as the United States reore.
sentative TO congress Of maritime nations which Ia
70 assemble there on the 23d instant The object Of
that convention is to arrange plan for the improve
ment OF navigation, as recommended Nv I.enter ant
Moury. The meeting was called by His Worship the
Mayor who bad seat circulars inviting the attend
gentlemen present we observed Mr. j. C. Dwart, Mr.
Evsps, Mr. [. Bold, Mr.. w. Tyrer, Mr.. I. Little
dale, Mr.. H. Littedae. Admiral GrenfelI, Mr. c.
Mlver Mr. X. A. M'Fie, Mr.. shani. &c. The Nay
several charts to be referred TO ty Iie,easnf Man
| ~ during bis explanations.
Inc MAYOR explained that some time ago he ~
oelveo COMMUNICATIONS from Mr.. Dixie one of the
royal commissioner now in the United States. and
from one or two Others also letter from the M,vor
| o! rev York. strongly urging upon him the desira-
Dehess OF introducing Lieut. Maury to the merchants
OF Liverpool, as he was desire N of making com.
muihcatlon respecting his theory of winds and cur
| rents be (the Mayor had done 80 ny inviting the
varions mercantile associations to attend He had
Also received letter from the Provost Of Lcith ZEN
| closing copy OF memorial from the magistrates
| and town councifaf that borough. which thew had
agreed TO forward to the government ON the an me
suyecI( requesting that be would bring the matter
| ueiore the Liverpool town council rhe council re-
iefred me memorial to the mercantile associations
ne bad great pleasure in introducing Lieut. Maury
to the merchants Of Liverpool, feeling satisfied that
anything which might tend II facilitate the speed Of
vessels, or improve navigation would not be uninte
resting TO the shipping body who formed such an
important part OF the community of our country In
conclusion, he begged to introduce Lieut.. Maury to
the meeting. (Applanse)
Lieutenant MAuaY then rose, and was very warm
y received. He said the plan on which he was en-.
eaped was commenced several years ago in the
United States and the object of it was simply to uet
nom log books such observations az navigators in
the usual routine e their duties at sea- were accns
toned to make with view to obtaic facts as to the
oirecJon OF wnos and currents and present them in
book IN such way that each one might have the
oeneht ~ the experience Of all. He referred to COM
mnnicatlons on the subject which had passed on ne
half OF the En- yltsh and American governments and
said that In 1851 the British government Instructed
its minister at Washington to Call the attention of
'De government Of the United States TO a plan Of
neteorologica observations which had been devised
by captain James OF the royal navy, under the d.
rection OF General 8nrgoyne, nineteen foreign sta
TONS and asking the assistance of the United States
In carrying ont those same observations on the land
After the Royal Society had been consulted on the
matier, tue British government receded from it's
original proposition as to the observations on land,
and agreed to that the United States with regard to
carrying out similar observations ut sea The result
was that he had received q command from his
Europe to send delegates to meet him Hieutenant
Maury) If conference at Brussels for the purpose
OF arranging as to plan in reference to taking
meteor0to9ical observations on board men-of at
sea- mat convention was to take place at Brussels
on the 23d instant But that related entirely to men
oi-war For the cooperation OF the navy however. |
IN the meau time, he had been authorized by the |
United States to put foreign spmastsr on the same
footing as American shipmastes with regard TO the
charts which he had arranged. 1t vas a system OF
mutual obligation and beaeft; they received the
assistance q the merchant and other captains in the
collection OF materials, and after these were obtained
discussed. and arranged in proper ORDER and the
charts published each captain was presented with
copy Illustrative ofthe navgation Of that portion
OF the sea to which the information 30 furnished
was applicable. He ought to menton that those
observations from the merchant vessels required
at SEQ, namely the" pasqaJly given for the pur-
latitude and longitude ct tho time stated the pre-
yailng direction and character Of the wind, at what
the sailors call the three parts Of the day, the tenn
peraure OF the weather and the height Of the baro-
meter once Gay. sDd such remarks any naviga-
tors would choose 81 make to illustrate those observa
tons for Themselves ALEC II there had been any ply
sicsl fact that under their observation Blank
forms printed for keeping those abstract logs
and forms were also furnished having reference to
the sailing directions and the cruising grounds. II a
captain was trading TO the North Atlantic he was
furnished wha copy If chat set OF charts; and if he
was going 0 whaling in the Pacific copy of the set
applicable to the trade; He would also have other
charts relating 70 the navigation of the Pacific SO
charts he would get. Any navigator sailing from
port in England or America for the Pacific would OBJ
tain charts OF the winds in the north and south Pac
lc, and navigator going to New York would have
the winds Of the North Atlantic. They woud DO
furnished individually with the Oh arts illustrative OF
their sailing ground. His (Liertenan' Maurys) OBJ
ject in inviting the attention of the merchants and
others engaged in shipping and navigation ut Liver.
pool to these facts was that they should be enabled
to take advantage of them If they thought proper
lie might state that they preferred always that those
pressed men; they should not be compelled to coope
rate against their will he acted on the principle
that one volunteer was worth dozen pressed men. |
II was only those ready aud willing to undertake such
operation whose services most desired asi was
from them they were more likely to obtain the best
results. Hitherto there had been no difficulty in get
ting volunteers. There was something ike one |
thousand American ships In conformity with the |
plan in all parts Of the world where American ships
were in the habit Of going. There was one matter
to which he wished to allude. The subject he was
Introducing to them had been spoken Of as theory
Of his. Now it was theory at all 1t was merely
plan OF his for bringing together facts and observa-
tons, and afterwards TO ascertain the nature Of those
facts and apply them as far possible to the pur-
poses OF navigation, with view to its Improvement;
to enable any navigator to see at once, on inspec-
ton, the routes of vessels and their precise courses
through the ocean during the various months of the
year. Any navigator would thus find The track Of |
Of the year, and he could by that means ju 1ge of
the progress he was making. There was another sys-
TEN OF charts which had been adopted, by which Che
ocean was divided into squares OF five degrees of
latitude and five OF longitude, and il ~as on the |
principle That through whatever part of square |
vessel passed aud reported the wind 10 blow il was
assumed TO be found blowing in that direction, at
that instant, all over the square. They got obscrva-
tions from each square, and Chased them according
TO the mouth. and Ivy that means they woud be en-
ablcd to calculate on the direction fthe wind on
certain square for particular month navigator,
bavng thus all the experience OF other voyagers be-
fore him, could calculate on the direction Of the |
winds in that part Of the ocean to which he was
going. From such knowledge he might, by Judi
oiously going ont Of his way make shorter passage
than he otherwise would have done. Even taking |
into account the chances against him. there would be
chances in his favor; but by adopting principle of
that kind, and noticing the average o. voyages, Co.
gotber with the observations he enabled 10 make
he was sure in tho long run to be benefited by it.
Gentlemen knew that tho route from England or the |
United States for ell vessels bound 10 the southern