140 REPORTS OF INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



The Director of this Department, accompanied by Prof. R. H. Tucker and 

 Mr. WilHam B. Varnum, sailed on this service August 20, from Brooklyn, on 

 the steamship Velasquez for Buenos Aires. Materials for the most difficult 

 parts of the constructions required were taken along with the party, together 

 with a variety of apparatus. 



The Director expects to return to New York about November 4, after in- 

 itiating the necessary arrangements for location and construction of the ob- 

 servatory, leaving this work to be carried out by Professor Tucker, assisted 

 by Mr. Varnum. 



It is designed to send the second party to Argentina December 19, or at 

 some later date when it shall have been ascertained that the new observatory 

 is sufficiently ready for occupancy. This second party will also be in charge 

 of the Director of the Department, who will personally take it to its destina- 

 tion. The membership of this second party is at present arranged as follows : 

 Chief assistant, Mr. Arthur J. Roy ; assistants, Sanford and Zimmer ; record- 

 ers, Fair, Gibble, and Delavan. 



With this staff will also be taken the Olcott meridian-circle belonging to the 

 Dudley observatory, together with its extensive subsidiary apparatus, clock, 

 chronographs, etc., a photometer, and other needful apparatus. On arrival at 

 the new observatory the meridian-circle is to be installed at once upon the 

 massive concrete piers prepared for its reception, duly adjusted, and tested. 

 The work of observation is to begin at once, and it is estimated that the pro- 

 gram of observation, which has been carefully studied and arranged, can be 

 completed within three or four years. The instrument will then be returned 

 to Albany for the purpose of completing the corresponding observations to 

 be made there. 



Arrangements have been perfected for the prompt computations of the re- 

 sults derivable from the observations, as nearly up to date as the proper der- 

 ivation of constants will permit. One of these computations will be carried 

 on at San Luis as a duplication of the more elaborate one to be executed at 

 Albany. 



The observatory will be left in charge of Prof. Richard H. Tucker, who 

 has leave of absence from the Lick Observatory during the time required for 

 the work. Professor Tucker was an assistant at the Dudley Observatory 25 

 years ago, was chief assistant for many years at the national observatory at 

 Cordoba, x\rgentina, and after that became an assistant at the Lick Observa- 

 tory, and subsequently chief assistant there, where during the last 10 years he 

 has produced many notable works in meridian-observation. Messrs. Roy and 

 Varnum are also experienced observers with our meridian-circle. So that the 

 probabilities seem to be in favor of a speedy and precise execution of the 

 plans. 



