Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth's Astronomical Notices. 175 



of time to have written answers to them, as civil as possible, without 

 wasting more by repetition of them to the Society : and, fortunate- 

 ly, such correspondents form but a small part of the whole. 



Having mentioned the weather, I may allude, before coming to 

 the astronomical matter, to the diagram on the table drawn by the 

 Society's anemometer, now at the Observatory. The storm of last 

 Saturday forms an interesting feature ; the strength of the wind was 

 confined to within from 2 h. to 4h.p.M., and reached in the momentary 

 gusts a force of 23 lb. on the square foot ; but as more accurately 

 measured by a revolving anemometer, the speed was equal to 39 

 miles per hour ; between 3 h. 30 m. p.m. and 4 h. 10 m. p.m., a 

 change in the direction occurred from S. 20 E. to S. 70 W. ; seem- 

 ing to shew, on the hurricane theory, that the centre of the whole at 

 its nearest approach was N. 60 W., and the direction of progress 

 about N. 30 E. But to fix this decidedly, observations from other 

 places are necessary. 



The first astronomical matter to which I will call attention, is a 

 work recently written by the author. Professor Loomis, " on the 

 recent progress of Astronomy, especially in the United States," pub- 

 lished in the present year at New York. 



The highest astronomical authority in this country recently de- 

 clared that the Americans, though last in the field of Astronomy, 

 were already able to give lessons to their old masters ; and this work 

 eminently shews their rapid progress. 



Chapter I. contains the advances in the knowledge of the Planetary 

 System in the last ten years ; Chapter II., of the Cometary 

 System ; and Chapter III., of the Fixed Stars and Nebulae ; 

 while the IVth contains accounts of the United States' Observatories, 

 now 15 in number ; of the astronomical expedition to Chili ; of the 

 astronomical results of public surveys ; of the determination of 

 longitude by the electric telegraph ; of astronomical publications ; 

 and the manufacture of telescopes in the United States. 



In every department, both practical and physical, the most satis- 

 factory indications are shewn ; and if they go on as they have been 

 doing, and we do not do more than we have been doing, we cannot 

 but be left behind before long. 



The second matter I have to bring forward, is Dr Locke's account 

 of his electric observing clock, which has been used with such signal 

 advantage in improving the accuracy of astronomical observations ; 

 and by whose aid the differences of longitude between all the prin- 

 cipal American cities are known more exactly than that between 

 Greenwich and Paris. Small wonder then, that when the absolute 

 longitude from Europe should labour under so great an uncertainty 

 as it does, that the Americans should now think of setting up a 

 new meridian for themselves. 



On the invention being published, and favourably reported on, 

 Congress gave Dr Locke the liberal sum of 10,000 dollars for the 

 purpose of enabling him to estabhsh one of his electric clocks in the 

 National Observatory of Washington, and also retain a handsome 



