ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ASTRONOMY 89 



part of research. Thus the American s^'stem is weak in ite most 

 vital part. Problems in great number are pressing for solution ; 

 there is already a generous provision of observatories and equip- 

 ment inviting use ; there is a body of skilled investigators who are 

 anxious to make good use of these material facilities ; but there is 

 very marked deficiency in means for their support. By support is 

 meant the necessary provision for assistants and computers and for 

 ■other expenses incident to the maintenance of active research on 

 important problems. In reference to almost all the important sub- 

 jects of inquir}^ research in astronomy is attended with the neces- 

 sity for a very great amount of skilled labor in measurement and 

 computations. The conception of new ideas in investigation, the 

 formulation of plans and methods, invention of devices to improve 

 and shorten labor, and the deduction of results, demand the same 

 order of ability that is required everj^where in the, direction of work 

 in exact science ; but usually in the details the same kind of meas- 

 urement or computation has to be repeated in the same way thou- 

 sands of times, sometimes on thousands of different objects, requir- 

 ing for success the habit of accuracy, or manual dexterity, quickness 

 and industry, rather than a high order of scientific ability. We 

 believe that skilled computers and obser\'ers for the routine work 

 are needed in greater proportion for the successful prosecution of 

 reseajch in astronomy than in any other department of exact science ; 

 and provision for these we believe to be tlie most pressing need of 

 American astronomy at the present time. 



Proposal for a Southern Observatory. 



The third point which has specially impressed itself upon our 

 attention is the great deficiency of observatories in the southern 

 liemisphere. The chief contributions of observations upon the 

 southern sky are now coming from four or five observatories only, 

 in a less degree from three or four others. Against this we have in 

 effective force about ten times as many working observatories in the 

 northern hemisphere. Since more than one-quarter of the entire 

 celestial sphere is efficiently reached only from the southern hemi- 

 sphere, it is obvious that there is now very great disparity of astro- 

 nomical resources to the disadvantage of the southern hemisphere. 

 In studying this matter we have become more and more impressed 

 with the idea that, if possible, something ought to be done to rem- 

 edy this disparity. The sclieme for an observatory in the southern 



