Fine Autograph Letter Signed to Sir Henry George CALCRAFT (Robert, 1805-1865, Vice-Admiral, Hydrographer & Meteorologist, travelled & wrote with Darwin, invented the Fitzroy Barometer & Weather Forecasts) by FITZROY

(1836-1896, Knight Secretary to the Board of Trade) saying that "yesterday, according to our arrangement I sent a note to Lady Herbert. It was returned with information that her Ladyship had left for the Continent ... As you may like to know this and also, perhaps, to see what was said yesterday morning and how the weather has been since. I now enclose my note and this morning's Weather Report ..." with a postscript that "H.M. just secured a lull for the passage, on Saturday ..." and an instruction not to return the enclosed, 4 sides 8vo., "M. o. Bd of Trade", Monday, no year circa In 1854, on the recommendation of the President of the Royal Society, FitzRoy was appointed as chief of a new department to deal with the collection of weather data at sea. His title was Meteorological Statist to the Board of Trade, and he had a staff of three. This was the forerunner of the modern Meteorological Office. He arranged for captains of ships to provide information, with tested instruments being loaned for this purpose, and for computation of the data collected.