MARIA MITCHELL. 337 



observers of this country and Europe in the discovery of tliis comet, 

 no steps were taken by Mr. Mitchell with a view to obtaining the 

 King of Denmark's medal. Prompt information, however, of the 

 discovery was transmitted by Mr. Mitcliell to his friend, AVilliam C. 

 Bond, Esq., Director of the Observatory at Cambridge. The obser- 

 vations of the Messrs. Bond upon the comet commenced on the 7th 

 of October ; and on the 30th were transmitted by me to Mr. Schu- 

 macher, for publication in the Astronomische Nachrichten. It was 

 stated in the luemorandum of the Messrs. Bond, that the comet was 

 seen by Miss Mitchell on the 1st instant. This notice appeared in the 

 Nachrichten of December 9, 1847, and the priority of Miss Mitchell's 

 discovery was immediately admitted throughout Europe. . . . 



" Mr. Fleniken entered with great zeal and interest into the sub- 

 ject. He lost no time in bringing it before the Danish government, by 

 means of a letter to the Count de Knuth, the Minister at that time 

 for Foreign Affairs, and of another to the King of Denmark himself. 

 His Majesty, with the most obliging promptness, ordered a reference 

 of the case to Professor Schumacher, with directions to report thereon 

 without delay. Mr. Schumacher had been for a long time in the pos- 

 session of the documents establishing Miss Mitchell's priority, which 

 was indeed admitted throughout scientific Europe. Professor Schu- 

 macher immmediately made his report in favor of granting the medal 

 to Miss Mitchell, and this report was accepted by the King, The 

 result was forthwith communicated by the Count de Knuth to Mr. 

 Fleniken, with the gratifying intelligence that the King had ordered 

 the medal to be awarded to Miss Mitchell, and that it would be deliv- 

 ered to him for transmission as soon as it could be struck off. This 

 has since been done." 



Among those who most promptly became Miss Mitchell's champions 

 in this claim made for her by friends was Admiral Smyth, the same 

 who had been her guide through the Celestial Cycle. Professor Schu- 

 macher, who had suggested the foundation of the medal, was also 

 active in her behalf, and Madame Riimker sent congratulations. It 

 seems probable that Miss Mitchell's failure to make any claim for 

 herself, and the voluntary appearance of several distinguished cham- 

 pions, attracted the attention of European astronomers to the peculiar 

 merits of the case. It was found that she was not only fully able to 

 make all the observations and computations required for locating 

 celestial objects, but that she could compute their orbirs and predict 

 their reappearance in our skies. The European astronomers came 

 to feel a personal interest in her; and when, some years later, she 



VOL. XXV, (n. s. xvii ) 22 



