66 MOUNTAIN OBSERVATORIES IN AMERICA AND EUROPE. 



So far as I have been able to ascertain from all inquiries, the astro- 

 nomical conditions near the city of Mexico are not especially favorable. 

 It is reported that Mr. Percival Lowell proposes to establish a 24- 

 inch telescope in this vicinity during 1896. If this is done a good 

 direct comparison with the conditions at Flagstaff, Arizona, can be had, 

 and indirectly a comparison with Mount Lowe, Arequipa, and Mount 

 Hamilton. 



In December, 1895, a survey of the volcano Popocatapetl (nearly 

 18,000 feet in altitude) was made for the purpose of laying out an 

 aerial cable railway to the summit. The object of the railway is to 

 exploit the sulphur beds, but it will, no doubt, lead to the establish- 

 ment of a high-level meteorological observatory. 



