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Note.—In order to safeguard the scientific reputation of the late Her. B. Faura, S. <T., butabove all to prevent serious consequences which might result, we believe it to he our painful dutyto protest on this occasion against a form of aneroid barometer bearing the name of the founderof Manila Observatory, and to warn the seafaring community against confiding in the characteristicfeature of said instruments.

In the year 1890 Fr. Faura entrusted to a well-known firm at Paris the specifications of ananeroid which, besides the peculiar arrangement of the face characteristic of the popular Faurabarometer, carried on the rim of the same 16 points of the compass, while to the knob at the centerwere attached three additional pointers forming fixed angles with each other. These were intended loautomatically indicate the bearing of the vortex and the course which the ship should steer when-ever—the barometer exhibiting readings found within the body of cyclonic storms—the wind indexwas set in the direction of the prevailing wind. Only six instruments were ordered for experimentalpurposes and it was understood that the barometer was not to be placed on the market until itsreliability had been fully established by actual experience. The instrument did not prove satisfac-tory and, consequently, has never been made public property.

To our great astonishment several such barometers, bearing the name of Fr. Faura and con-structed by the firm mentioned, have lately been brought to this Observatory for comparison. Ourefforts to obtain satisfactory explanations have not been successful and hence we do not know onwhom to lay the blame. But we caution those in possession of such instruments not to place anyreliance upon the peculiar arrangement. Provided the aneroids are of good quality, they may beused as ordinary Faura barometers, but the best thing which their owners can do is to have two ofthe additional pointers removed, using the one remaining as the ordinary pointer for marking thereading.

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