VPRS 780 Inward Correspondence, Melbourne Observatory

The earliest official records of Meteorological Observations, made within the State of Victoria are those published in the Government Gazette of New South Wales in the form of Monthly Abstracts from the Meteorological Journal kept at Port Phillip for the period 1840- 1851. During this time the observing station was located at Melbourne within the Flagstaff Gardens, then known as Flagstaff Hill.From 1855 to 1858 meteorological observations were made at Melbourne and at some twenty stations in different districts of the Colony, under the supervision of Mr. R. Brough Smythe, Director of Meteorological Observations, which were organised and administered as a branch of the Public Lands Office until 1870 and from 1870 to ? 1945 as a branch of Chief Secretary's Department VA 475).The account and results of the meteorological work carried out under B Smythe are found in his three Meteorological Reports presented to both Houses of the Victorian Parliament.In 1858 the Meteorological and Magnetical Observatory, known as the Flagstaff Observatory, was established by Professor Neumayer in the buildings of the old Flagstaff Signal Station on the same Flagstaff Hill. The Meteorological Branch of the Public Lands Office was amalgamated with it and placed under Professor Neumayer's direction on 1 March, 1859.The Flagstaff Observatory remained in full uninterrupted activity for five years. In 1863, on Neumayer's return to Europe, the magnetic and meteorological equipment was transferred to the Astronomical Observatory, since known as The Melbourne Observatory, and placed under the direction of R.L.J. Ellery, the then Government Astronomer of Victoria.From 1863 to 1871, only the results of meteorological observations made at Melbourne were published by the Melbourne Observatory in the local newspapers as Monthly Abstracts. From 1872 to 1907, the results of meteorological observations from all stations in Victoria were published.On 31 December 1907, the Melbourne Observatory relinquished all its meteorological duties. The government of the Commonwealth of Australia took over the State meteorological services.This series documented the activities of the Melbourne Observatory.

维多利亚州现存最早的官方气象观测记录，为1840年至1851年间刊载于《新南威尔士政府公报（Government Gazette）》的、源自菲利普港（Port Phillip）留存气象日志的《月度摘要（Monthly Abstracts）》内容。彼时观测站设于墨尔本的旗杆花园（Flagstaff Gardens）内，当时该地尚称旗杆山（Flagstaff Hill）。1855年至1858年，在气象观测主管罗伯特·布拉夫·史密斯（R. Brough Smythe）先生的监管下，墨尔本及该殖民区二十余个不同区域的观测站点开展了气象观测工作。该观测体系最初作为公共土地管理局（Public Lands Office）的分支机构进行组织与管理，直至1870年；1870年至约1945年间，则隶属于首席秘书厅（Chief Secretary's Department，档案编号VA 475）。史密斯先生主导的气象工作相关记录与成果，收录于他提交给维多利亚州议会上下两院的三份《气象报告（Meteorological Reports）》之中。1858年，纽迈耶教授（Professor Neumayer）在原旗杆信号站的旧址上建立了气象与地磁观测台（Meteorological and Magnetical Observatory），即后世所称的旗杆观测站（Flagstaff Observatory）。1859年3月1日，公共土地管理局气象分支并入该观测台，并交由纽迈耶教授负责管理。旗杆观测台持续不间断开展工作达五年之久。1863年纽迈耶返回欧洲后，其搭载的地磁与气象设备被搬迁至当时的天文台，即后世的墨尔本天文台（Melbourne Observatory），并交由时任维多利亚州政府天文学家R.L.J.埃勒里（R.L.J. Ellery）统筹管理。1863年至1871年，墨尔本天文台仅将墨尔本本地的气象观测结果以月度摘要的形式刊载于当地报纸。1872年至1907年，观测范围扩展至刊载维多利亚殖民区所有观测站点的气象观测结果。1907年12月31日，墨尔本天文台移交其全部气象相关职责，澳大利亚联邦（Commonwealth of Australia）政府接管了州级气象服务体系。本数据集完整记录了墨尔本天文台的相关工作历程。