REPORTS OF AMERICAN OBSERVATORIES. 5G3 



(b) Meridian transit instruments: Maters, B. Tike & Sons; aperture, 

 2\ inches. 



(c) Equatorial instruments : Maker, Merz, of Munich : aperture of 

 objective, 4 A inches; magnifying powers of eye-pieces, 96 to 312 diameters. 



(d) Spectroscopes : 1 Kirciihoff's 4-prism table spectroscope. 

 (g) Clocks : 1 mean time ; makers, Ritchie & Sons, Boston. 



(h) Chronometers : 1 sidereal; makers, Wm. Bond & Son, Boston. 



III. Observations during the past year : 

 From January 1, 1878 to July 1, 1879. 



(a) Determination of latitude. 



(b) Determination of local time. 



(c) Transit of Mercury, May, 187S. 



(h) Local time and transit of Mercury. 



VI. Additional information: 

 Transit of Mercury duly observed and report transmitted to Naval 

 Observatory and published in Appendix II to Washington Observations 

 for 1876. 



Location of observatory : (City) Phelps ; (County) Ontario; (State) New 

 York. 



Name of observatory : Bed House Observatory. (Private.) 

 Longitude from Washington : Eecent surveys make it very close to the 



Washington meridian. 

 Latitude, 42° 58'. 



I. Personnel: 

 Director, Wm. Bobt. Brooks. 

 Assistant, Mrs. Mary E. Brooks. 



II. Instruments: 



(i) Miscellaneous: Instruments used are a 2-inch refractor, ,36 inches 

 focal length, mounted as altitude-azimuth; magnifying powers 30, 45, 

 100 diameters; objective imported ; mounted by the observer. A 5-inch 

 aperture silver- on-glass Newtonian reflector, 50 inches focal length, al- 

 titude-azimuth mounting; magnifying powers, 40, 60, 140 diameters; 

 made by the observer. 



III. Observations during: the past year: 

 From September 1, 1878, to September 1, 1879. 



My observations have been mainly of sun-spots, planetary phenome- 

 na, and comet-seeking, using both instruments, but chiefly the reflector 

 for sun-spots and comet-seeking'. Have made several observations of 

 Swift's comet (No. 1 of 1879); Palisa's (No. 2); and Uartwig's (No. 

 3) has been seen by glimpses. 



