loi Life of Ahrahain (ihthetf Kajlner, 



year 1753 Lowitz niilde known his refolution ot leaving 

 Gottingen, and rcfigned the obfervatory to Kaftner, with 

 every thing it contained. Though Kaftner had before no- 

 thing to da with the obfervatory^ he gladly aflfumed this new 

 occupation ; biit it was an exprefs condition on entering upon 

 it, that he fliould require no increafe of his falary ; a facrifice 

 which he readily made, efpecially as he had before found nd 

 difficulty, when in a lefs favourable fituation at Leipfic, to 

 incur confiderable expenfe in order to gratify his tafte for 

 aftronomy. The confidence repofed in him on this occaiion 

 he employed to the benefit of aftrdnomy and the honour of 

 Gottingen, by caufing the manufcripts left by Mayer, and 

 his drawings of the moon, to be purchafed for the ufe of the 

 univerfity. Thefe he preferved at the univerfity till they 

 were delivered into the hands of Lichtenberg for publication; 

 and thofe not publifhed were after his death depofited in the 

 public library. 



Kaftncr had neither occaficfn, time, nor inclination, tof 

 Acquire the fame dexterity as Mayer : he obtained the ufe 

 of the obfervatory when he was 'iivo. years older than Mayer 

 at the time of his death, and only as an addition to his other 

 numerous occupations. He did not therefore pretend to 

 great readinefs in the management of the inftriiments, which 

 requires long and uninterrupted experience ; but it may be 

 feen by his works that he underftood every thing in regard 

 to making obfervations, and that his formef practice was of 

 great ufe to him. 



The firfl: who^ under Kaftner*s dire£lion, took advantage 

 of the perm iflion given to ufe the obfervatory, w&re Kiigel^ 

 Lichtenberg, and Ljungberg. The laft was much inclined 

 to devote himfelf entirely to aftronomy : by Kaftner's rc^ 

 commendation he was appointed profeffor of the mathema- 

 tics at Kiel, and is now a counfellor^of (late to his Dani(h 

 majefty at Copenl^agen. 



On the 19th of June 1769, \Vhen the tranfit of Venus oVei 

 the fun took place, KHftner, in company with Lichtenberg 

 and Ljungberg, obfcrved as much of that phoenomenon as 

 could be {n^w at Gottingen; that is, the ingrefs of the planet 

 into the fettintr fun* 



Id 



