The magnetic observatory at De Bilt, near Utrecht

At the time of the removal of the Central Observatory of the Royal Meteorological Institute of the Netherlands from Utrecht to a place which would better answer the purposes of such a building, there arose the question as to the best way of erecting an observatory for terrestrial magnetism. The mode of answering this question depends wholly on the purpose aimed at in building the observatory. It is my intention to indicate, in a few words, my opinion on the subject, and the way in which it has been realized at de Bilt, near Utrecht. During the past ten years the science of terrestrial magnetism has received a great impetus. Everywhere magnetic surveys have been instituted and finished, or are still in progress. The theoretical requirements are getting more and more exacting, and are demanding, in consequence, greater refinement in the instruments employed and in the methods of observation.