G4G EEPORTS OF ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORIES. 



tical on one night by Mr. Comstock, and the latitude of a pier 40 

 feet north of the transit circle piers was found to be + 43c> 4' 37". 77 ± 

 0".C1. 



Work proposed for the coming year (1881): 

 The equatorial, with Messrs. Holden & Burnuam as observers, will 

 begin a series of zone observations on the plan of Herschel's sweeps. 

 The 3-inch transit will be used by Mr. Comstock for time observations, 

 and Polaris and the Sun will be observed at every culmination with 

 time stars. 



Additional information : * 

 It is hoped to commence the printing of the publications of the Wash- 

 burn Observatory during the year. No. 1 will be a descrij)tion of the 

 Observatory and its history up to January 1, 1881, together with the 

 Keduction Tables prepared by the late director, Professor Watson. 

 No. II will contain Burnham's General Catalogue of Double Stars. No. 

 I of the Contributions has already been printed, and contains a list of 

 new nebuliB and double stars. 



Mount Hamilton. Santa Clara County, California, 

 Liclc Astronomical Department of the University of California. 



Longitude from Washington, 2^^ 58"" 148.6 W. 



Latitude, 37o 21' 3" N. 



Director : Not yet appointed. 

 Instruments : 



In process of construction. 



Work proposed for the coming year (1881) : 



Erection of small Observatory to accommodate the Draper 12-mch 

 equatorial (Clark & Sons) and time instruments (Fauth). These are 

 to be set up by Professors E. S. Holden and S, W. Burnham in Octo- 

 ber, and used to observe the transit of Mercury. 

 Additional information : 



From the report made to the trustees of the James Liclc Trust, by 

 Prof. S. W. Burnham, the following information is gathered respecting 

 the situation and elevation of Mount Hamilton, upon which the Lick 

 Observatory is to be erected: 



"The city of San Jose, the nearest point of railroad connection from 

 Mount Hamilton, is 50 miles south of San Francisco. Mount Hamilton, 

 by the highway, is 26 miles from San Jose, nearly east, and is reached 

 by a good road constructed two or three years since by tbe county of 

 Santa Clara. In order to keep the grade within the limit of six feet in 

 one hundred, the last portion of the road is carried up the ridges of the 

 mountain by a circuitous route. The distance between the observatory 

 and San Jose, in an air-line, is only 13 miles. 



