, 1861-03-11
MARINE mETEOR0L0GY.

Leaders OF the TRIBUNE Will remember
that early in February last, q succession of
storms visited the British Islands, causing
great disaster to shipping, and attended
with la<ge loss Of life The fact has elici-
ted an article from the London Times on
the subject Of marine meteoro1ogy, from
which We copy the following:
sThe event was predicted with Is much
certainty as an eclipse, and could have been
announced by Signals, as conspicuous fiery
bcacons. The information was actually tele-
Eraphed to several places. Aberdeen, Hui,
Yarmouth, Dover, Liverpool, Valentia, aud
GALWAY, we're apprised Of the pending storm
those ports as follows: Caution-Gale
threatening from the southwest, and then
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. signal drum Now, rs all
points Of our coast are connected By teie-
graphic wires, aud as there can be no di11lcn1ty
n showing signals Of this description, We
think it highly desirable that the eystem
should be establiehed without delay. The
plan, though organized by the Board Of trade,
1s not get, VIC are told, in full practical opera
tiou, but, ne the detniis, according to the de-
Nncat:on given, cannot involve much trouble
or c.'st, the sooner the scheme is introduced
The hetter.
"Meteorolosy now rests upon evidence as
palI'asle as that which confirms our theory Of
astronomy. We believe those theories be-
cause the predictions Of an, astronomical al
naaslae are intallIbly verified. An eclipse oc-.
surA at the hour and minute set down for it,
occuliasions and transits take place with sim
1lat punctua1ty, aad as all things Invariably
happen according to programme, the truth Of
thc principles On which the science is based
becomes evident to all, whether learned or
UnlearDed- We are now in exactly the same
position as regards neteosology. We cannot
nf,orn .1f
hut II seems that TIE can 7ea11y foreteu a
dd}s tcfore ii com.s and e7x71 dscertai,
The quarter From trtich tic toind 4oiu 1|e,e If We
have iuueed got 10 this point-and there ap-
Psite M reason to doubt 1.-THE rest ought to
be easy" !:
The TR1nuaE has frequently urged This
matter upon the attention Of those imme-
diately interested in our Lake Marine and
it is gratifying to find its views seconded by
80 high an authority. Those who have
given the s1bject proper consideration, do
not doubt that more than one half Of
The annual loss Of life and property caused
by storms On the Northwestern Lakes,
could bo prevented By the adoption Of a
system Of Meteorological observations and
OF storm signnls. So far as Lakes Erie,
Ontario, and the southern ports Of Lake
Michigan arc concerned, such system
could he put in operation at very small
cost Nearly all the ports On those lakes
are connected By telegraph. 1t most Of
them there are Custom House officers, a
part Of whose duty it might be ma de to
take charge Of the observations, and CON-
municate the necessary information to the
variots ports on the Lakes. The only ex-
pense necessary to be incurred tn these CD
ses would be the erection Of storm signals
and the. transmission Of dispatches by tele-
graph. Thus, for example, a Storm, or in
dications Of 8 storm, being manifest at any
port On the lakes, the fact could at once be
transmitted to every other port connected
with it by telegraph, its direction and yio-
1ence stated, and BY the aid Of STORM sig
mails properly placed, all the shipping tten'
in the varions ports thus reached, would be
notified Of the fact. ...
-}Ye suggest to the Board of Underwrit-
ers the. propriety OF. instituting expert
uents to test the value Of q system Of this
character, at the opening of navigation the
present season. !. The experiments might at
first be confined to Buffalo and Chicago,
andextended to other ports if the results
shon1d warrant it. We are firmly peryua-
ded that the Board would add largely to
its profits By the trial. II Only one-foqrth
oE the disasters that annually: oecur. by