658 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



pendix, a detailed sketch of the origin and development of 

 that institution. By full quotations from rare documents, 

 Professor Nourse gives the present generation an impressive 

 view of the difficulties our fathers experienced in introduc- 

 ing pure science to government patronage. At present the 

 American government is certainl}^ as discreet in its encour- 

 agement of science and art as is any state of Europe, in obe- 

 dience to the general conviction that knowledge is power, 

 wealth, and happiness. It is highly instructive to follow 

 Professor Nourse in his narrative of the repeated failures to 

 secure an appropriation for a national observatory. The of- 

 ficial Congressional agitation of this question began in 1810, 

 with the resolution of Mr. Pitkin to employ Mr. Lambert to 

 determine the longitude of Washington as the prime me- 

 ridian of the United States. Bills to effect this object were 

 introduced at each successive session of Congress; but the 

 burning of the Capitol, and the confusion incident to the war 

 of 1812, annually defeated the project, and it was not until 

 1821 that Mr. Lambert was appointed to this work. Lam- 

 bert's report on his results was printed in 1822, and was fol- 

 lowed by supplementary reports in 1822 and 1823. The long 

 and eloquent address of President Adams urging the estab- 

 lishment of a national observatory is familiar to all. He 

 gave expression to his convictions not only in his inaugural 

 address, in 1825, but subsequently, as a senator, in 1836, 1838, 

 1840, and 1842. Professor Nourse gives full extracts from 

 the bill reported in 1826, advising the establishment of the 

 observatory as recommended by Adams. Tlie official corre- 

 spondence that was thus called out shows that from 1825 to 

 1842 a steadily increasing pressure was brought to bear upon 

 Congress, Avhich at last, overpowering personal and party 

 considerations, was finally sufficient to effect the transforma- 

 tion of the modest depot of charts and instruments into a 

 well-equipped observatory. The " depot," as such, had been 

 established in 1830, and its field of operations had much ex- 

 tended during the celebrated Wilkes Exploring Exj)edition. 

 As auxiliary to the latter, a small observatory was connect- 

 ed with the depot from 1833 to 1842, in which Gilliss made 

 those observations that constituted his excellent catalosrue 

 of 1100 stars; magnetic and meteorological observations 

 were also conducted by him with equal assiduity. To Gilliss 



