572 REPORTS OF AMERICAN OBSERVATORIES. 



Iii August last the Kara] Observatory was honored by a visit from 

 the distinguished director of the Pulkowa Observatory, Mr. Otto Von 

 Struve, aud his son Mr. Hermann Struve, who came for the purpose 

 of examining our large telescope, with the view of purchasing a still 

 larger one for the Imperial Observatory at Pulkowa. I am happy to say 

 that the performance of our telescope was found satisfactory by so com- 

 petent and experienced a judge, and that Mr. Struve has ordered a 

 30-inch objective from Messrs. Alvan Clark & Sons, the makers of 

 our instrument. 



THE TRANSIT CIRCLE. 



This instrument, under the direction of Prof. J. E. Eastman, assisted 

 by Prof. Edgar Frisby, and assistant astronomers A. IN". Skinner, H. 

 M. Paul, and H. S. Pritchett, has been employed in observations of — 



(1.) Stars of the American ephemeris, for clock and instrumental cor- 

 rections. 



(2.) Sun, moon, major and minor planets. 



(.3.) Stars whose occultations were observed in connection with obser- 

 vations of the Transit of Venus in 1874. 



(1.) Standard stars for a catalogue of zone observations. 



(5.) Stars of the British Association Catalogue between 120° 0' and 

 131° 10' N. P. D. 



(G.) Stars used in observations of comets with the 26-inch and D.G-inch 

 equatorials. 



(7.) Stars used in the determination of latitude by the United States 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey, the La Ice Survey, Capt. G. M. Wheeler's 

 survey, and by Lieut. Commander F. M. Green in surveys in the West 

 Indies. 



(8.) Stars used by Mr. David Gill, of the Royal Astronomical Soci- 

 ety of London, in determining the solar parallax from observations of 

 Mars with the heliometer. 



The whole number of observations made with the transit circle siuce 

 the last annual report is 4,100. Of these observations, SI wen 1 , of the 

 sun; Gl of the moon ; 130 of the major planets, and 14G of the minor 

 planets. 



The meteorological department is under the direction of Professor 

 Eastman, and the usual observations, at intervals of three hours, have 

 been made throughout the year. 



The Observatory is responsible for the control, by means of the motor 

 clock, of clocks in the State, War, Xavy, and Treasury Departments ; 

 for furnishing accurate time-signals to the Western Union Telegraph 

 Company, and for dropping the time ball on the Western Union Tele- 

 graph Office in New York. 



The facilities for controlling the clocks in the departments are now 

 wholly inadequate; and a complete change will soon be made, which, 

 it is hoped, will insure thorough aud continuous control. 



