a month ago. You have seen, in the Intelligencer, "the Parthian dart" he flung at us?
Nannie (Curly) is complaining of her pen, so good-night.
Yours,
The whole subject is reviewed in Mr. Harlan's Report before the Senate, 1857 (to accompany Bill, 5·48), extracts from which follow:—
"The Committee on Agriculture, to whom were referred the several memorials in favour of extending to the land, for the benefit of agriculture, the system of meteorological observations and research which, under the direction of Lieutenant Maury, has been benefit of so successfully carried I on at sea for the commerce and navigation, I now have the same under consideration and beg leave to report.
"The system of meteorological observation and research to refer which your memorialists refer was inaugurated by Lieutenant Maury, about ten years ago, while in charge of the Hydrographical Department, for the purpose of improving certain maps and charts relating to the winds and currents at sea. These maps had been constructed out of materials collected from the old 'log-books,' which from time to time had been returned to the Navy Department from the armed cruisers of the Government of the U.S. They related to a few only of many commercial paths of the ocean. They were necessarily very imperfect in consequence of the proper data, but were nevertheless valuable to the merchant marine. Lieutenant Maury obtained leave from the Navy Department to offer them to sea-captains in the merchant service on the condition contained in the following circular, sent to masters and shipowners:—
"'Here are certain charts which embody, to some as to extent, the experience of the officers of the Navy, as to winds and currents, in certain parts of the ocean.
