ASTRONOMY. 421 



American observatories. — (Albany, Clinton. Rochester, Toronto, Montreal, 

 Cambridge, New Haven, Princeton, Washington.) 



American astroniorners will be much interested in a very intelligent, 

 account of a scientific journey made by Dr. Ralph Oopeland in 1883, 

 which is printed in Copernicus No. 32. The observatories named 

 above were seen, and their chief points of interest are briefly and pleas- 

 antly mentioned. Dr. Copeland seems to have been most pleased with 

 glass reticles, the American form of chronograph, Clark's present man- 

 ner of separating the lenses of objectives and their color correction ; 

 while the chief fault found is with the too light mountings of Clark's 

 equatorials compared with Grubb's, for example, and to a less extent 

 their too great simplicity, as compared with Repsold's. In regard to the 

 first question it may be asked whether the steadiness of position of the 

 Washington 26 inch isuotall sufficient; and as to the second it appears 

 sufficient to mention that the mounting of the Milan refractor is to cost 

 as much as the telescope itself, which seems extravagant to Americans. 



The United States Naval Observatory. — The report of Admiral Shu- 

 feldt, under date of October 22, 1883, covers the work of the observa- 

 tory for the past year. 



The personnel of the observatory is as follows : 



Rear- Admiral R. W. Shufeldt, superintendent ; Commander W. T. 

 Sampson, assistant to superintendent; lieutenants, Pendleton, Moore, 

 Bowman, Garvin, Wilson, Harris, Sewell ; ensigns, Brown,* Allen, Tay- 

 lor, Hoogewerff ; professors, Hall, Harkness, Eastman, Frisby; assist- 

 ant astronomers, Skinner, Winlock, Paul; clerk, Thomas Harrison; 

 computer, W. M. Brown, jr.; computers (Transit of Venus), Woodward, 

 Flint, Wiessner, A. Hall, jr.; instrument-maker, W. F. Gardner; 

 also three watchmen and nine laborers. 



The report, which is not yet published, contains a brief account of the 

 work accomplished with the principal instruments of the observatory — 

 the 26-inch and 9.6-inch equatorials, the transit circle, prime vertical 

 aud meridian transit — and the progress in the chronometer department, 

 the department of nautical instruments, the library, and also in the re- 

 ductions of Gilliss's Zones of 1850, 1851, 1852. 



The 26-inch equatorial. — This instrument has been in charge of Prof. 

 A. Hall, with Prof. E. Frisby as assistant. Mr. George Anderson is 

 employed as an assistant in the dome. This equatorial has been em- 

 ployed, as in preceding years, for the observation of double stars, 

 satellites, and comets. The satellites of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune 

 have been observed ; and we have now collected a large number of ob- 

 servations of these satellites. The ring of Saturn has been observed, 

 but no remarkable changes have been noticed. In fact, many of the 

 strange phenomena frequently described in connection with this unique 



* Appointed professor of mathematics United States Navy October 13, 18t>3. 



