60 ANNUAL KECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



Fordham, N". Y. : Private Observatory of W. Meikleham, Esq. 



My largest Telcscojie has an objective of 4^ inches clear aperture, 

 anil Co inches focal distance, and is furnished with a Finder of li 

 inch clear aperture, magnifying twenty diameters. The Eye-pieces 

 used with this telescope are seven in number, and give the following 

 powers, viz. : 30,45, 80, 150, 250, 350, and 450 diameters. There are 

 also a right-angle prism for observing objects near the zenith, and a 

 double right-angle prism for solar observations. This telescope is 

 equatorially mounted on a heavy iron stand, fastened upon a brick 

 and stone pier built from four feet below the foundation of the 

 observatory to two and a half feet above the floor. The Equatorial 

 is furnished with a right-ascension circle, divided to read to 20 

 seconds of time, and a declination circle reading to 4' of arc. Both 

 circles are supplied with tangent screw T s, and the object under obser- 

 vation is kept in the field of the Telescope by a Driving -clock. 



I have also a smaller Telescope with an objective of 2-| inches clear 

 aperture and 44 inches focal distance. Eight Eye-pieces are used with 

 the telescope, magnifying 20, 33, 50, 80, 100, 150, 225, and 300 diame- 

 ters respectively ; also a right-angle prism and solar prism similar to 

 those used with the larger glass, and a sun-screen. This telescope 

 has a Finder of 1 inch clear aperture, magnifying ten diameters, 

 and is mounted on an alt-azimuth stand. It is my intention to 

 mount this telescope as a transit instrument. The 4^-inch objective 

 was made by John Byrne, of New York. The 2-J-inch glass is a 

 Bardon. 



In addition to these telescopes and their equipments, my observa- 

 tory contains a Spectroscope, besides other minor instruments usually 

 comprising a part of the furniture of an amateur's observatory. 



The principal work accomplished during the year has been a 

 series of observations of the magnitudes, positions, colors, and dis- 

 tances of the double stars in the constellations of Aquila, Aries, Au- 

 riga, Bootes, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Deljthinus, Hercules, Libra, Lyra, 

 Opliiuchus, Orion, Perseus, Pisces, Scorpio, and Taurus; also the clus- 

 ters and nebula? of these constellations. I have spent a good deal 

 of time in solar and lunar observations, giving my attention in the 

 former more especially to the spots, and, in the latter, to the ring- 

 mountains and craters in the vicinity of Tyclw. 



I made a very careful observation of the transit of Mercury, and 

 forw r arded a report of the result thereof to the U. S. Naval Observa- 

 tory. 



Fort Dodge, Iowa : Private Observatory of F. Hess. 



In response to your invitation to send you a brief account of my 

 instrumental equipment, and of the astronomical work done there- 

 with during the year 1877-78 at this place, the approximate posi- 



