220 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



of the admiralty account in the Parliamentary estimates, 

 and are voted annually by Parliament. 



The committee of the House take the liberty of annexing 

 to this report extracts of a communication from the present 

 astronomer royal, Mr. Airy, received in the course of the 

 last summer b}^ their chairman, and containing much valua- 

 ble information concerning the royal observatory at Green- 

 wich, and relating to other astronomical observatories within 

 the British dominions, and under the patronage of the 

 British Government. 



The history of the royal observatory of France would 

 present an exhibition not less interesting of the benefits 

 conferred upon mankind by the slightest notices bestowed 

 by the rulers of mankind upon the pursuit of knowledge ; 

 and the names of the four Cassinis would range in honor- 

 able distinction by the side of those of Flamsteed, Halley, 

 Bradley, and Maskelyne. 



Within the last century the other governments of Europe 

 have emulated with those of France and England in erect- 

 ing and endowing astronomical observatories, the number 

 of which, in that quarter of the globe, is not less at this 

 time than 120, while throughout the whole range of these 

 United States there is not one. 



In the British islands alone, there are observatories at 

 the universities of Cambridge and Oxford ; at Edinburgh 

 and Glasgow, in Scotland ; and at Dublin and Armagh, in 

 Ireland ; all of which receive some patronage from the 

 Government. And, in addition to which, there has been 

 erected, under the same patronage, an observatory at the 

 Cape of Good Hope, already made illustrious by the labors 

 of Sir John Ilerschel. 



Among the munificent patrons of science, and particularly 

 of practical astronomy, adding a brighter lustre than that 

 of the diamond or the ruby to the imperial crown, is the 

 present Emperor of all the liussias. There was, during the 

 reign of his predecessor, a small observatory at St. Peters- 

 burg, at which the eminent German astronomer, Schubert, 

 author of a profoundly learned and also of the best popular 

 system of astronomy extant, presided. 



But no longer since than the 7th of August last, the in- 

 auguration took place of the new observatory of Pulkowa, 

 near St. Petersburg ; a spot selected by the Emperor Nicho- 

 las himself, for the establishment founded under his aus- 

 pices, and constituting, perhaps, the most perfect and best 

 appointed institution of this nature extant in the world. In 

 November last, an account of this event, and a long and 



