Page:A Life of Matthew Fontaine Maury.pdf/296

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LIFE OF MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY.

This paper was read before the International Congress at St. Petersburg, &c., by M. Quetelet (see Le Moniteur Belgique).

In pursuance of these suggestions, the following resolutions were unanimously adopted:—

"Resolved, first—That the President of this society be and hereby is instructed to petition, in behalf of the farmers of Tennessee, the United States Government—through the State Department and the Executive—in favour of the establishment, by international co-operation, of a general and systematic plan of meteorological observations and crop reports, and to request the Government, in furtherance of this object, to invite all other nations to meet, in the persons of their leading meteorologists, at an early day, in a conference similar to that held in Brussels in 1853: first, for the purpose of connecting with the plan now proposed the system that was then adopted for the sea; second, for the purpose of arranging details; and third, for the purpose of providing for a general system of telegraphic meteorology and crop reports, to the end that our knowledge of the laws which control the functions of the atmosphere may be increased, and that accurate and useful forecasts may be made at frequent intervals as to weather and crops in all countries.

"And the President of this society is desired also to request that the United States Government will co-operate in this system of research by causing the plan that may be agreed upon in conference to be carried out in this country, and to be adopted on board of the public cruisers.

"Resolved, second—That the President of this society transmit a copy of these resolutions to the State Government and to each of the agricultural societies and journals in the St ate, inviting their co-operation and requesting them to support the measure with their influence and with similar petitions."

Hon. Jacob Tompson submitted the following resolution:—