A. MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. 35 



wise enough to achieve for themselves, and it is greatly to be 

 hoped that the founder of Lick Observatory may live to en- 

 joy the congratulations of his state and country. Overland 

 Monthly, 1873, 556. 



THE NEW OXFORD OBSERVATORY. 



Mr. De la Rue having in the course of last summer made a 

 munificent offer of several instruments, including a large re- 

 flecting telescope and the almost entire outfit of his own pri- 

 vate observatory, to the University of Oxford, the subject 

 was at once brought under the consideration of the museum 

 committee, which has unanimously agreed to accept the offer 

 of the distinguished amateur astronomer. The building for 

 the proper erection of the instruments is ordered to be erect- 

 ed in the park of the university museum, and to the same 

 building will also be brought the instruments now in the 

 small observatory on the east side of the building. Provis- 

 ion is made for the regular use of the instruments of the 

 new Oxford Observatory by granting authority to the Savil- 

 lian Professor of Astronomy to secure, at the rate of 200 

 per annum, an assistant for five years, who shall make such 

 observations as he may judge proper. It is probable that 

 the new observatory thus established will render special serv- 

 ice to astronomy in the departments of photography, spectro- 

 scopy, photometry, etc., as contrasted with the labors carried 

 on at the Radcliff Observatory, which are, and have been, 

 especially confined to the use of meridional instruments and 

 measurements of precision. 12 A, IX., 52. 



THE NEW OBSERVATORY OF QUITO. 



Astronomers will be interested to learn that among the 

 numerous able men whom the President of the republic of 

 Ecuador has gathered to that city in order to develop the 

 University of Quito, there has appeared one, Father Menten, 

 whose interest in astronomy has been such as promises to 

 settle the long-mooted question as to an observatory in that 

 city. Menten has now returned to Quito laden with a por- 

 tion of the instrumental outfit that lie was ordered to secure 

 at Munich. Among the apparatus is a good meridian cir- 

 cle. Father Menten was for some time a pupil of the emi- 

 nent Argelander. IIeis,Wochensehrift, December, 1873. 



