TWENTY-SIXTH CONGEESS, 1839-1841. 199 



Since the death of Flainsteed, the office of astronomer royal has been 

 successively filled by Doctor Halley, who has given his name to the 

 most splendid comet of the solar system, by computing its orbit and 

 predicting its return after a period of about seventy-five years, already 

 twice verified; then by Bradley, immortalized by the two discoveries 

 of the aberration of light and the nutation of the earth's axis; by 

 Bliss, Maskeljaie, and Pond; the present successor of whom is 

 Mr. Airy — like all his predecessors, among the most eminent astron- 

 omers of the age. For the space of nearly two centuries this institu- 

 tion has existed and has been the seat of continuous observations, 

 scarcely interrupted by the intervals between the cessation of the 

 labors of one observator and the commencement of those of his suc- 

 cessor, an arrangement made by the means of assistants, which has 

 contributed to distinguish the system of observations pursued at 

 Greenwich from that followed at every other observatory. 



From such small beginnings originated and thus illustrious has 

 been the career of the royal observator}^ of Greenwich. Originally 

 attached to the ordnance department, it was in 1816 or 1817 trans- 

 ferred to the department of the admiralty. The estimates for the 

 annual expense of the observatory are inserted under the "scientific 

 branch " 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 by their 

 chairman, and containing much valuable information concerning the 

 royal observatory at Greenwich, 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 

 ))y the slightest notices bestowed by the rulers of mankind upon the 

 pursuit of knowledge; and the names of the four Cassinis would range 

 in honorable distinction b}^ the side of those of Flamsteed, Halley, 

 Bradley, and Maskelyne. 



Within the last centur}^ the other governments of Europe have 

 emulated with those of France and England in erecting 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 univer- 

 sities of Cambridge and Oxford; at Edinburgh and Glasgow, in Scot- 

 land, 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 



