In 1866, Federico Faura, SJ, became the director of the "Observatorio" in recognition of scientific abilities. During this time, the "Observatorio" was engaged in the systematic observation of Philippine weather. On July 7, 1879, after data comparison with another Jesuit cleric in the West Indies, the "Observatorio" issued a warning indicating that a tropical cyclone was crossing Northern Luzon. The colonial government took every possible precaution based on the reliability of the warning and the slight losses from the typhoon finally and permanently cemented the reputation of the "Observatorio". This was followed by a prediction in November of the same year that a tropical cyclone will pass by Manila. The "Observatorio" began conducting seismological and terrestrial magnetism observations in 1880. In 1885, the "Observatorio" started time service and a system of visual (semaphore) weather warnings for merchant shipping. In 1886, the Faura Aneroid Barometer was released. In 1887, a section devoted to the study of terrestrial magnetism was set up and six years later, the first maps of terrestrial magnetism in the Philippines was published. In 1890, the seismological service was officially established, and in 1899, the astronomical section was opened.