The aim of this article is to put the foundation of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute in 1854 in a broader context. It focusses on large foreign projects of a Humboldtean nature, such as the the rising magnetic and meteorological networks of the thirties and fourties, the role of universities, local societies and the government, and the practical dimensions of meteorology. It deals with the pioneering work on meteorology of Willem Wenckebach an his ally Richard van Rees, both of whom had participated in international networks. When Buys Ballot succeeded Wenckebach as the Utrecht professor of mathematics, he also adopted the latter's role as the main representant of Dutch meteorology. His primary aim was to raise meteorology to the level of an exact science. In 1848 he founded a meteorological observatory with the help of his friend Krecke. It was in every respect a private enterprise. Its primary aim was to become the centre of a national, and eventually an international, network. Financial support came from local societies. In his attempts to gain government recognition and support, Buys Ballot joined forces with the Dutch naval officer Jansen. The latter's contacts with Maury in Washington enabled Buys Ballot to convince the government of the practical meaning of meteorology. Charts of winds and seacurrents promised a considerable shortening of sailing passages. Hesitations of the Duch government to create a state institution were eventually overcome after the Brussels international conference on maritime meteorology. Comparison with a contemporaneous Humboldtean project, the geological charting of the Netherlands, allows for some generalisations with regard to the role of professors, experts, societies and the government in midcentury scientific projects of a national character.