38 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION A. 



In January, 1910, the Commonwealth Government appointed 

 a Board consisting of R. A. Macdonald (Under-Secretary for Lands, 

 N.S.W.), R. P. Sailors (Geodetic Survey, N.S.W.), C. R. Scrivener 

 (Commonwealth Director of Surveys), H. A. Hunt (Commonwealth 

 Meteorologist), P. Baracchi (Government Astronomer, Victoria) to 

 enquire and report upon the best site for an Observatory within 

 the Federal Territcry at Yass-Canberra. The Board tmanimously 

 selected and recommended a site on the summit of a hill some 

 2,500 feet above sea level, which, in their opinion, was probably 

 as suitable for the purpose as any place in Australia. 



The Commonwealth Government, having accepted the recom- 

 mendations of this Board, instructed Mr. Barrachi to establish a 

 temporary Observatory at the selected site and, from an astrono- 

 mical point of view, to test the locality in order to determine 

 definitely whether it answered the requirements of modern scientific 

 research, including astrophysics. The Department of Home 

 Affairs has prepared plans for a dome to house a 9-inch refracting 

 telescope, and the work is now actually proceeding. The telescope 

 is the gift of James Oddie, Esq., of Ballarat, who offered it, together 

 with other instruments and appliances, on condition that it would 

 be utilised as a part of the equipment of a Solar Observatory. Mr. 

 Barrachi, under instructions from the Department of Home i\ffairs, 

 took delivery of the whole of this equipment from Mr. Oddie in 

 July, 1910, and, pending the construction of buildings at Yass- 

 Canberra, had it housed temporarily at the Melbourne Observatory 

 for alterations, additions and repairs. It is proposed to erect at 

 the site this 9-inch refractor, upon which a Dallmeyer photographic 

 lens, 6-inch aperture and 42-inch focal length is now being mounted, 

 and for a year to make observations during one week in every six 

 weeks, the observations to be carried out alternatively by Mr. 

 Barrachi and his chief assistant, Mr. J. M. Baldwin. 



Appended is a memorandum upon the proposed Solar Observa- 

 tory in Australia issued by the Committee : — 



G. H. Knibbs, 

 Chairman of Committee. 



MEMORANDU.M UPOX THE PROPOSED SOLAR OBSERVATORY 



IN AUSTRALIA 



Issued bv the Solar Physics Committee of the Australasian 

 Association for the Advancement of Science. 



Preface. 



The object of this Memorandum is to draw attention to the 

 urgency of establishing in Australia an Observatory for the study 

 of the sun. A co-operative scheme has been initiated between 

 the great Solar Physics Ob-servatories of Europe, America, and 

 India, and Australia's participation in this international work is 

 essential to its complete success. 



