12 INAUGURAL ADDRESS, 
About this time a system of meridian surveys was adopted by 
the Government, necessitating regular astronomical observation, 
which was carried out under the direction of the Surveyor- 
General, Mr. J. P. Thomson, and his successor, Mr. Percy Smith. 
Astronomy in New Zealand has had its votaries among private 
citizens, some of whom have fitted up observatories with excel- 
lent instruments, which, however, with some exceptions, appear 
to have been used solely for “looking at the heavenly bodies.” 
Of those who have contributed to the advance of astronomy in 
New Zealand are the Ven. Archdeacon Stock and Mr. Beverly, 
of Dunedin, who has done a good deal in the observation of such 
phenomena as afforded scope for mathematical investigation. 
At the transits of Venus both Major Palmer and Col. Tupman 
speak of the valuable assistance rendered by volunteer observers 
in several parts of the colony using their own telescopes. 
The geographical position of New Zealand fits it admirably 
for astronomical undertakings in co-operation with observatories 
of the old world, it is therefore a matter for regret in the in- 
terests of science that no public astronomical institution yet 
exists in New Zealand, which would enable her to take a share 
in such work. 
()UEENSLAND. 
Until 1859 Queensland was a part of New South Wales, when 
it became a separate colony. I find no trace of any astronomical 
work in this part of Australasia until 1865, when, in connection 
with the determination of a part of the boundary line between 
the new colony and New South Wales, which is a parallel of 
latitude, a field observatory was established to make the neces- 
sary astronomical observations. 
In 1872 a small private observatory was erected in Brisbane 
near the wharf by the late Capt. H. O’Reilly, in which he 
mounted a 4-in. equatorial and a small transit instrument. 
Local time was determined for some time, but beyond this there 
does not appear that the observatory was devoted to any prac- 
tical purposes. Capt. O’Reilly died in 1877, and the instruments 
were purchased by the Government. 
In 1883 the Government commenced a trigonometrical survey, 
under direction of the Surveyor-General, Mr. A. M‘Dowell, 
connection with which he determined astronomically the geo- 
eraphical positions of 66 points, pretty evenly distributed over 
the colony, and established a small observatory at the Brisbane 
survey offices, furnished with an excellent Bamberg transit in- 
strument, and an astronomical clock by Kulberg; with these, 
local time is maintained, and since 1894 a time ball on the 
Signal Tower in Brisbane is dropped daily at 1 o’clock as a 
public time signal. 
From time to time several private observers in the eae 
having provided themselves with good equatorial telescopes and 
