180 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1887 AND 1888. 



North Carolina University. — Professor Love, of the University of 

 North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has called attention to an early attempt 

 to establish an astronomical observatory in the United States which 

 seems to have remained unnoticed by astronomers. Professor Cald- 

 well, the president of the university, went to Europe in 1824 to pur- 

 chase books and apparatus, and spent the greater jiart of $3,301.35 for 

 astronomical instruments; this was four years before tbe purchase of a 

 telescope by Yale. The foundations of the observatory were laid in 

 1831, and the building was finished in 1832, six years before the Hop- 

 kins Observatory at Williams. There was but one room, 15 feet by 2.) 

 feet and about 25 feet high. A Simms transit of .%inch aperJure and 

 44:-inch focus was mounted upon a masonry i)ier in this room, and a 

 Simms altitude and azinuith instrument upon a pier projecting through 

 the roof and covered by a small house moving on rails. The observa- 

 tory possessed also a 2^-inch (5'2-inch focus) Dolland refractor, an astro- 

 nomical clock by Molyneaux, reflecting circle, sextant, and quadrant. 

 The instrnments were removed from the observatory owing to a leaky 

 roof, soon after Dr. Caldwell's death, in 1«35, and in 1838 the building 

 wtis partly destroyed by fire, and astronomical activity was never re- 

 newed. All records of observations have been lost. 



OaMand. — The i>rivate observatory of Mr. F. G. Blinn, in East Oak- 

 land, contains a 5-inch Clark equatorial and li^-inch Latimer-Clark tran- 

 sit, with meantime and sidereal clocks. 



OalclamL — The observatory of Mr. Burckhalter, at West Oakland, 

 California, contains a lOi-inch reflector by Brasliear, and 1 g inch transit. 

 The mechanical work of the building and eciuatorial mounting was done 

 by the owner. 



O'GyaUa. — Observations of sun spots, spectroscoi)ic aiul ])hotometric 

 observations of i)lauets, new stars, comets, and stars with variable 

 spectra. The observations for a "spectroscopic Durchnuisterung" 

 from 0<^ to -15° declination have bten finished and the catalogue 

 printed. Dr. von Kovesligethy, Dr. von Konk<»l^v's assistant, accepted 

 a position in the meteorological offlce in Budapest, Apiil 1, 18S7. Con- 

 siderable spectroscopic and i)hotographic api)aratus has been added 

 to the etpiipment. 



Omaha, Nebraska. — A new observatory at Creighton College was 

 completed in 1887. The instruments are a 5 inch Steward equatorial, 

 3 inch Fauth transit, clocks, chronograph, etc. Director, J. Bigge, S. 

 J. Latitude, 4-41o 10' 0"; longitude, 0^^ 23-" 47^ west of Greenwich. 



Orwell Park. — An extensive and valuable series of observations of 

 recent comets has been published. 



Oxford University. — Great attention has been paid to photograi)hy, 

 and particularly to its application to the determination of stellar par- 

 allax [q. v.), with very gratifying results. The large equatorial is to be 

 re-modelled as a photograi)hic telescope of 13 inches aperture in con- 

 formity with the plans adopted by the Paris congress, the necessary 

 funds having been provided by Dr. De La Jiue. 



