Item HT 23672 Report - George Neumayer, Results of Meteorological Observations, Victoria, 1859-1862, Government Printer, Melbourne, 1864

Summary

Results of the Meterological Observations taken in the Colony of Victoria, 1859-1862; and of the Nautical Observations collected at Flagstaff Observatory, Melbourne, 1858-1862. By George Neumayer, Director of the Flagstaff Observatory. Published by the Government Printer, Melbourne, 1864.

Physical Description

Leather bound, printed volume with chromolithographic frontispiece. Dark red morrocco leather cover with gilt decoration, marbled endpapers. Text block has gilt edging.

Significance

Flagstaff Observatory, established at Flagstaff Hill in central Melbourne in 1858, was the creation of German scientist Georg Balthasar von Neumayer. The Flagstaff Observatory commenced observations in March 1858, establishing a series of meteorological observations, measurements of atmospheric electricity, and observations of the various elements of terrestrial magnetism. Flagstaff Observatory took over official responsibility for meteorological measurements from the Crown Lands Department in March 1859, and Neumayer coordinated the gathering of measurements from throughout the colony.

Neumayer also examined nearly 200 ships logs from ships' captains who had voyaged to Victoria from Europe, in order to analyse weather and ocean currents. Flagstaff Observatory ceased its observations in November 1863, as responsibility for the magnetic and meteorological observations passed to Melbourne Observatory.

This volume summarises the meteorological observations at Flagstaff Observatory and official stations throughout Victoria from 1859-1862. As such it is the first major scientific publication on Victoria's climate, and its data continues to be used in research on climate change.