on July 30, and the lowest 13.7 deg. on
Dec. 7. The mean temperature was below the average in every month of
the year; the months of greatest deviation being January and December,
respectively 6.8 deg. and 7.6 deg. below the average; the months of April,
May, July, and November were each between 4 deg. and 5 deg. below the average.
The number of hours of bright sunshine, recorded with Campbell's
Sunshine Instrument, during 1879, was only 983.--In the summer of 1879
Commander Green, U.S.N., came over to this country for the purpose of
determining telegraphically the longitude of Lisbon, as part of a
chain of longitudes extending from South America to Greenwich. A
successful interchange of signals was made with Commander Green
between Greenwich and Porthcurno on four nights, 1879, June 25 to
29. The results communicated by Commander Green shew that the
longitude of Lisbon Observatory, as adopted in the Nautical Almanac,
requires the large correction of +8.54".--With regard to the coming
Transit of Venus in 1882: From the facility with which the
requirements for geographical position are satisfied, and from the
rapid and accurate communication of time now given by electric
telegraph, the observation of this Transit will be comparatively easy
and inexpensive.
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