Colonial Time-ball Observatory.

Mr. Thomas King, the officer in charge, reports as follows: The time service has been carried out as in former years. New Zealand mean time has been distributed daily by telegraph throughout the colony; whilst special signals for the use of navigators in rating their chronometers have been sent weekly to the chief seaports on the mornings after meridian observations have been taken. Hourly clock signals have, as heretofore, been automatically given from the Observatory to the Wellington Telegraph-office (operating-room and public office), to the Colonial Museum, and to the business premises of those watchmakers in Wellington who are on the galvanometer circuit. The time-ball is now dropped on every day of the week except Sunday; and for the guidance of shipmasters a flag is displayed on the ball tower on those days on which, as the result of transit observations, the time may be employed for close-rating purposes. Acknowledgments are due to the Wellington Harbour Board for the readiness it has shown to make the necessary arrangements for carrying out this plan. I should like to be allowed to record my thanks to Mr. William Ferguson, Secretary of the Board, and to Mr. G. F. Smith, the Assistant Secretary, for their courteous co-operation with the department in the matter. The telegraph authorities have been at all times obliging in promptly taking any steps which were required for insuring the proper