678 REPORTS OF ASTROXOMICAL OBSERVATORIES. 



Cape Town, Africa. 



Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope. 



Longitude from Greenwich, 1^ 13'" "55^ E. 



Latitude, 33° 50' 3".4 S. 



Authority for longitude, Henderson ; for hititude, Stone. 



Directors: F. Fallows, 1820; 



T. Henderson, 1831; 

 T. MacleAR, 1834; 

 E. J. Stone, 1870; 

 David Gill, 1879. 

 Assistants : W. H. Finlay ; 

 G. Maclear; 

 EoBT. H. Pelt; 

 I. Freeman. 

 Founded in 1820. Owned no instruments of importance until 1829. 

 It was not at this Observatory that John Herschel made his observa- 

 tions, but some distance from here on a private estate called Feldhau- 



SEN. 



Instruments : 



(a) Meridian circle, by Eansome & Simms for the engineering part; 

 TrouGtHTON & SIMMS for micrometric and optical part ; a sister instru- 

 ment to the Greenwich circle; diameter of circles, 06 inches; divided 

 to 5'; read by microscopes to O'.Ol estimating easily to O'.OOl as at 

 Greenwich. Aperture of objective, 8 inches ; magnifying power always 

 emjiloyed, 200 diameters. 



{e) Equatorial instruments : makers, object-glass by Merz, mounting 

 (German form) by Troughton & Simms ; aperture of objective, 6.9 

 inches ; magnifying i^ower of eyepieces, 40 to 400. (c') Small equato- 

 rial, 3.0-inch aperture (Bollard), 46 inches focal length, mounting on 

 long polar axis (English form), maker unknown ; without clock-work, 

 at present dismounted. 



{d) Spectroscope: spectroscope by Troughton &, Simms. 



(/) Chronograph : one by Bond, not at present in use. 



{()) Clods: one mean time; maker, Molyneux : one sidereal ; * maker, 

 Barraud. 



(h) Chronometers : mean time and sidereal. A supply of these instru- 

 ments kept for use of Her Majesty's ships, consequently frequently 

 changed. 



(i) Miscellaneous : A heliometer of 5 feet focal length, 4 inches 

 (French) aperture. Tube and cradle by Eepsold, mounting by Grubb. 

 (This instrument is the private property of Mr. Gill.) 



*Anew normal clock, with Airy's escapement and air-tight case, is in course of 

 construction by Messrs. Dent. 



