62 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



admonished to keep a very sharp watch of the solar orb. It 

 is greatly to be desired that the photographs taken at Green- 

 wich and Cambridge be supplemented by a set taken at 

 Melbourne. 12 A, 1873, 475. 



WORK AT THE EDINBURGH OBSERVATORY. 



The annual report of Professor C. P. Smyth states that the 

 force of the observatory is now concentrated upon a general 

 star catalogue, to include all the determinations of position 

 made at Edinburgh since the establishment of the observa- 

 tory. In the department of meteorology, there are fifty-five 

 stations from which monthly reports are received. The stand- 

 ard time is sent from the observatory to very many places in 

 Scotland, and in several a noon gun is automatically fired at 

 the exact second. In the city of Edinburgh a large number 

 of clocks are controlled electrically from the central clock at 

 the observatory a system that has been widely spread over 

 Great Britain and the Continent, and is now in very success- 

 ful use in Washington, Boston, and Pittsburgh. The effect of 

 the low state of the barometric pressure of the atmosphere 

 upon the rate of the standard clock seemsto have given much 

 trouble. Like many of the other observatories of Europe, 

 and even of America, Edinburgh is to have a new and large 

 equatorial telescope ; the report states that it is very nearly 

 completed, the main parts being already in position. Singu- 

 lar to state, there appears to be no satisfactory provision 

 made by the government for the proper support of the per- 

 sons who are to use this instrument, and, in Professor Smyth's 

 own words, " it places us in connection with this new equa- 

 torial in a nearly parallel position to that of any unfortunate 

 artillery ofiicer who should have received a big gun, of per- 

 haps the most approved wrought-iron and steel construction 

 in itself, but without means of moving it, without powder 

 and shot, and yet should be expected by the public to be 

 continually firing it with immense success, and at all sorts 

 of objects, throughout the whole year." 



