176 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



In the first place, we need a new determination of the positions of 

 standard stars distributed from the north to the south pole of the 

 heavens. In response to my previous application such observations 

 with the meridian circle at Albany have already been approved and 

 will shortly be undertaken. The required alterations in the instru- 

 ment are nearly complete. This series should be completed within 

 eighteen months, or, at latest, within two years, from the present 

 time. After that I should like to take this instrument at once to 

 some favorable station in the southern hemisphere for the observa- 

 tion of standard stars out of reach from stations in the northern 

 hemisphere. The plan is to interlock the two series according to a 

 special plan of mine designed to bring about elimination of sys- 

 tematic errors of observation, by making them work in opposite 

 directions in the two opposite positions of the instrument. 



In the second place, we need at the present lime special observa- 

 tions of stars that have been neglected for the past twenty or thirty 

 years. We must bring up the accurac}" with which these motions 

 can be derived as nearly as we can to equality with that for the 

 general run of stars. There are very great contrasts in the amount 

 of available observations upon dififerent stars. For stars situated 

 in the southern one-fourth of the sky not more than 30 per cent 

 have been accurately observed since 1880, and very few indeed since 

 1894. Therefore, I strongly desire to observe all the stars down to 

 the seventh magnitude in the one-fourth of the celestial sphere 

 nearest the south pole. 



In this connection T would respectfully refer to the Report on 

 Southern and Solar Observatories in the second Year Book of the 

 Carnegie Institution, and especially to pages 28 to 31, under the 

 caption "Fundamental Meridian Observations," and to pages 108 

 to 143, containing letters from various astronomers commenting on 

 this part of the program for the Southern Observatory. It will 

 there be seen that these astronomers almost unanimously regard this 

 section of the work (precisely the subject of this application) as the 

 most important part of the program for the proposed Southern 

 Observatory. 



My wish would be to take personal charge of this work, but not to 

 remain continuously in the southern hemisphere. My plan would 

 be to organize the work, and remain at the station for nearly one 

 year in the beginning, in order to secure smooth running of the 

 observations, with the desired rapidity of execution and accuracy 

 in the results. My presence for a few months at the end would 



