REPORT ON ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORIES. 



By Gkorcie II. J3oeumek. 



INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 



Ill tlie Annual Eeport of the Smithsonian Institution for 1879 Prof. 

 E. S. Holden, then connected with the U. S. Naval Observatory at 

 Washington, published a preliminaiy account of astronomical observa- 

 tories, principally American, although reports of a few foreign observa- 

 tories, translated from the " Vierteljahrsschrift der Astronomischen 

 Gesellschaft," were incorporated. 



In the beginning of 18S0 a circular* was sent to the directors of 

 observatories, requesting their cooperation in the continuation of the 

 work. Professor Holden, however, having accepted a call to Madison, 

 Wis., as director of the Washburn Observatory, the editing of the notes 

 received was entrusted to the writer, and the result was published in 

 the Smithsonian Annual Eeport for 1880 (pp. G23-730). 



Since then, by correspondence, a large amount of material has been 

 collected, and this is now presented, classified under the two heads : I. 

 American observatories, and II. Foreign observatories. iSTotwithstand- 

 ing, however, the care given by comparison with other works on the 

 subject, such as "A. Lancaster, Liste Generale des Observatoires et des 

 Astronomes," "XJ. S. Nautical Almanac," " Connaissance des Temps," 

 '^ Astronomische Nachrichten," etc., the report is not regarded as com- 

 l)lete ; and the directors of the observatories and astronomers generally 

 into whose hands the paper may come are earnestly requested to freely 

 criticise it and to furnish the corrections and additions necessary to 

 secure, for another year, a more correct and complete account of their 

 resj)ective observatories. 



*Smitbsoniau Auuual Kcnort, 18^0, p. b'So. 



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