GQ COERESPONDENCE ON ASTRONOMICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. 



scheme in tlie form of a circular to the principal observatories interested 

 in it (perhaps sending a number of copies for distribution to Greenwich, 

 Paris, Berlin, and Vienna). 



C. H. F. Peters. 



Letter from Dr. B. A. Gould, at sea, steamship " City of Montreal,^' 

 August 27, 1880, to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



My Dear Professor : I have been about six weeks in Germany, 

 France, and England, and have everywhere found the astronomers 

 greatly perturbed in the matter of astronomical telegrams regarding 

 comets, planets, &c., which, they tell me, almost unfailingly go wrong, 

 no matter how great the care with which they are sent. 



Finally, the Germans have agreed upon a system to which they have 

 secured the assent of Admiral Mouchez at Paris, and of the Astron- 

 omer Ecyal. And they have asked me to communicate with you on 

 the subject and obtain your assent, which I told them you would surely 

 give, since the European astronomers are all of accord. 



It consists of three i^rincipal points : 



First. That instead of several transatlantic telegrams to different 

 observatories, the Smithsonian should send only one, viz, to Professor 

 Krueger, the new director of the observatory at Kiel and editor of the 

 Astronom,. Nachricliten. He undertakes to communicate the same tele- 

 gram instantly to all the European astronomical centers, at the expense 

 of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, if necessary. 



Secondly. That a second similar telegram should be forwarded next 

 day, or as soon as a second observation of the body has been obtained, 

 thus making only two transatlantic telegrams in all. 



Thirdly. That for these telegrams a special code should bfe used, 

 "which they have sent me, and which they all recommend. - - - 



B. A. Gould. 



Proposed mode of transmitting notices of the discovery of comets, as- 

 teroids, <&c., across the Atlantic. 



1. Only one dispatch to be sent at a time. This, if for Europe, to be 

 addressed to Professor Krueger at the observatory in Kiel ; if for Amer- 

 ica, to Professor Baird, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



A second telegram, however, to be sent as soon as a second observa- 

 tion has been obtained. Thus only two dispatches in all. 



2. All numerical data to be expressed by a word for each figure, with 

 out regard to its value as dependent upon its position. Thus " 58" to 

 be telegraphed as " five eight," " 12" as " one two," ''30" as " three 

 nought," &c. 



3. All places which would ordinarily be left vacant when the num- 

 ber is written in figures must be filled up by the word '^ nought:^ Thus 

 for the right ascension P 5™.3 would be written " nought one nought five 

 three" or for B.A. 19^ 3™ the dispatch would be sent " one nine nought 



