50 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



as good as the summit of any other mountain in the California coast 

 range of equal elevation. 



It has not yet been decided whether, in attempting to construct 

 an instrument " superior to and more powerful than any telescope 

 ever yet made," the better success would be promised by attempting 

 a great reflector or a great refractor. The opinions of many distin- 

 guished astronomers, as far as we have yet learned, seem to be di- 

 vided on this question. 



The nature of the site of the observatory will perhaps enter as one 

 of the many important considerations in determining the kind of 

 instrument. 



Work will not be commenced, nor will any steps be taken towards 

 contracting for the great telescor)e, until the claims of Mr. Lick's heirs 

 against his estate are settled by the suits now pending in our courts. 



The heirs have offered a compromise for $383,000, which all of the 

 various beneficiaries have agreed it advisable to accept; but the 

 California Academy of Sciences have demurred to the proposition 

 to pay the compromise-money from the residuum of the estate after 

 all the specific bequests have been paid in full (they being, with the 

 Society of California Pioneers, the residuary legatees), and are now 

 contending in court for a pro rata payment of the compromise-money 

 to wit, that all the bequests be adjudged liable to provide their pro 

 rata of the amount necessary to complete the compromise. 



The trustees hope soon to get a decision of the court which will 

 finally settle this matter, and enable them to begin carrying out the 

 various objects of Mr. Lick's donations. 



I have mailed you such printed matter as I could furnish to aid 

 you in determining for yourself if there is any matter of interest for 

 your purpose. I am, yours, respectfully, 



H. E. Mathews, Secretary. 



Lehigh University Observatory, South Bethlehem, Pa. 



Professor C. L. Doolittle, Director. 



The observatory was founded by Robert Sayre, of this place, and 

 is known as the Sayre Observatory. 



It was built primarily with a view to furnishing facilities for 

 instruction in astronomy to students of the university. Since my 

 connection with the institution, I have been engaged, as fin* as my 

 other duties would permit, in making and reducing the following 

 series of observations : 



1st. Determination of longitude of observatory. Signals were ex- 

 changed with the Washington Observatory on six evenings for this 

 purpose, a preliminary reduction of which gives our longitude G m 40.3 s 

 ( Bout h Bethlehem) E. of Washington. A final reduction may change 

 this slightly. 



