The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Meteorological Society
The Meteorological Society was founded on 3 April 1850 when a small group of men met at astronomer Dr. John Lee's home in Buckinghamshire,
England. The men discussed forming a society which would be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of
climate and other meteorological phenomena.1
The next meeting of the society took place on 7 May 1850 and the membership grew to 90 individuals, among them was the famous meteorologist
Luke Howard who was known for naming the clouds.2 The society officially became known as the “Meteorological Society” in 1866 when it was incorporated by Royal Charter. In 1883 it became known as the “Royal Meteorological Society” when Queen Victoria granted the privilege of adding “royal” to the title. During its establishment, the society was happy to
receive meteorological observations from across the globe. In this despatch, Colonel
Moody discusses the observations he took at the Royal Engineers Camp in 1862, which the society said they would be glad to receive.3
By 1900, the number of members exceeded 600 individuals. It amalgamated with the Scottish
Meteorological Society in 1921 and in 1946 it published its first monthly magazine: Weather. Membership numbers peaked in 1997 with 3,691 people.4
Today, the society is open to anyone who is interested in observing and understanding weather and climate. It remains dedicated to advancing meteorology and climate science through a variety of programs and activities.5