made by him. The decision in the Court of Admiralty in the cas of the Parlement Belge being clear on the point of the power of t Crown and its advisers in respect to treaties, the judgment of Robert Phillimore must be considered conclusive, and if suc exemption cannot be granted to vessels without the cons Parliament, it follows, as a necessary consequence, that it be withdrawn from those which are entitled to it, exce the like consent.

4

If the position of these vessels belonging to the Ki Belgians and engaged in this service gives rise to such and the Crown has no power without the consent of to vary the International Law on the subject, appears desirable that the consent of the King of and, if necessary, of the Legislature of that count Parliament in this country, should be obtained to convention which, so far as regards liability for dam declare that these vessels should be liable in the s way to that in which ordinary merchant ships are 1 certain cases a petition of right lies against country, at the suit of a subject, which pet material particulars is conducted similarly to the immunity of the Crown from suits is pre injustice to a subject; so the King of the Be to have proceedings taken against the shi England, or might agree that all questio alleged to have been done either by or should be submitted to the arbitration c maritime jurisdiction in England or Be ships themselves, and all on board o English ports, be subject to all the mun and the person offending against then and punishment by the Civil Law, and port in which they lie, or if on the hi Belgium.

ple, Mar

Yo

idge

ned to

le of our ...etrical disard of a deep cfore it occurred. clouds at 10 a.m., s Hill, 4.10, I was 2. The barometrical

a. a depression of

Charts). During the

small steamer trading to Middlesbro', and on the last occasion of my entering the Tees, the first of the ebb was coming away, yet, in spite of that, when the engines were reversed, she swung round like a top, with her stern up stream, without ever running a rope away, but then she was a very handy little ship. I regret to say I neglected finding out how the helm was put.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

W. F. HUNT.

24, Durham-street, Elswick-road, Newcastle-on-Tyne, March 17, 1880.

THE "EURYDICE" STORM AND PERIOD.

To the Editor of the "Nautical Magazine." SIR,-Audi alterem partem is a good old maxim, and I beg, in the interest of science, you will adopt it in the present instance. Now, the writer of the article in your February number on "The Difficulties of Weather Prediction," must either be labouring under a strange. misconception of facts, or has purposely misconstrued them, or he certainly would not have made the assertion he has in the article referred to. He tells us that it was not connected with any great cyclonic disturbance crossing the country, and would evidently have people believe it was a mere passing squall, causing no serious barometrical disturbance, as in the case of the Tay Bridge disturbance disaster. Now, as to its being a passing squall, which would scarcely have been heard of, had it not been for the loss of the ship, I ask, does not the same remark apply to the Tay Bridge storm? Again, to imply that the Eurydice storm was confined to narrow limits is simply absurd. It burst over the whole of our southern coast and was attended by severe barometrical disturbance. It occurred immediately to the westward of a deep depression. Its approach was indicated hours before it occurred. I myself saw and pointed out indications in the clouds at 10 a.m., and from one to the time of its passage at Forest Hill, 4.10, I was continuously watching the clouds or barometer. The barometrical disturbance was very considerable. At eight a.m. a depression of 29-5 lay off our N.E. coasts (see Official Weather Charts). During the

day it deepened, expanded, and extended westward, the barometer falling steadily over the S.E. districts; and at 3.50 it stood at about 29-5 at Greenwich. I was watching it closely, and from about 3.50 to 4.10 p.m., or say 20 minutes, it suddenly dipped nearly a tenth, and it was the general barometrical disturbance and this peculiar dip which led me to discover that the Eurydice disturbance had a fixed period of return. In May, 1878, I announced the fact to the Astronomer Royal and to the President of the Meteorological Society, giving, what I then believed to be the period, as two lunations; but on the 18th of May,* the same peculiar barometrical disturbance again occurred, and with this fresh data I eventually found that the true mean period is 28 days, and since that time I have proved to demonstration that its return and its effect on the barometer, force of direction of wind, &c., can be calculated as readily as the elements of a solar eclipse, as I think the following facts will show :-On the 17th of June last, at a meeting of the Meteorological Society, I gave the period, stating at the same time that the next transit would occur on the 13th July, and that it would be accompanied by a depression of 29.5. The Official Weather Chart shows that it occurred precisely as I had forecast. On the 17th December, eleven days before the Tay Bridge disaster, I announced through the press that the Eurydice cloud bands would pass between the 27th and 30th, accompanied by a depression of about 29.5 and south-west winds. Seven days later I sent out a forecast that the Eurydice disturbance would be followed by another depression of about 29.3 between the 1st and 3rd January, accompanied by strong S.W. winds. The Official Weather Charts show the isobars 29.5 on the morning of the 28th, lying over Aberdeen; and on the morning of the 2nd the isobar of 29.3 near the same place. Again, as soon as it was announced that the Princess Louise would sail in the Sarmatian, leaving on the 22nd January, I wrote that if the ship left on that day she would meet the brunt

This sudden dip of the barometer was noticed at the Royal Observatory, and Mr. Ellis has since (June 17th last) read a paper on it before the Meteorological Society.

Y

of the westerly gale which would be due to the recurrence of the Eurydice disturbance, which was due between the 23rd and 26th. The Sarmatian left on the 22nd, and was detained off Lough Foyle 15 hours by heavy weather, and had a boisterous passage. These are only a few of the instances I can give if necessary of the fulfilment of my forecasts to the Eurydice storm. These, however, I think are sufficient to show that there is one at least who can tell by actual calculation not only three days, but three weeks, months, or years in advance; and that the assertion that the Eurydice disturbance has a fixed period of return may deserve something more than a moment's attention." And now if the Eurydice disturbance has a fixed period-as I assert it has-is it too much to suppose that all disturbances are governed by the same law, and that if we can calculate the elements of one, there is nothing to prevent the same being done for the rest?

Well, twenty years ago I proved to demonstration (see “ Winds and their Courses ") that the circular theory was erroneous,* and the application of the rules laid down by Piddington and others, dangerous in the extreme, and I now assert, and am prepared to prove, "that the law of the circulation of our atmosphere is as perfect as the law which governs the solar system;" the basis of the law being this, the earth is girded, parallel to and at right angles with the magnetic equator, by certain magnetic and electric cloud and earth bands, and it is by the revolutions, crossings, reversings, and changes, all of which can be calculated with mathematical precision, that all atmospheric changes are produced.

Yours truly,

G. JINMAN, F.R.G.S., F.M.S., Author of " Winds and their Courses."

Carisbrooke House, Forest Hill, S.E.,

February 16, 1880.

* Even Mr. Meldrum and Bays Ballot now admit this. I may add Mr. Meldrum was first led to this conclusion by "Winds and their Courses," and facts to which I drew his attention, when I visited the Mauritius, sixteen years ago.