193 Rcinarfcs respecting Astronomical Obso'vatories. 



structions for planning, building, and furnishing an observa- 

 tory, considered eidier as a national establishment, or adapted 

 to the means of a private individual. More than all, I hoped 

 for an outline of the daily business of an observatory, calcu- 

 lated for the advancement of astronomy, pointing out the best 

 methods of observing and recording celestial pligenomena, and 

 giving examples of the most accurate ways of reducing the 

 observations, including of course the necessary tables, or else 

 referring to them hi some English publication. To this a ca- 

 talogue of the astronomical observations already published 

 would be no unacceptable addition. My disappointment may 

 be imagined, when I state that all these things are passed 

 over in total silence : not a word of the promised equatorial ; 

 not a word of Mr. Groombridge's transit circle ; not a word 

 of the mural circle in use at Greenwich ! Instead of the useful 

 information laid up from the experience of former observers to 

 guide and instruct future astronomers, the article in question 

 really contains nothing but a meager and incori'ect history of 

 observatories, almost wholly destitute of any practical value. 

 It terminates v/ith a table of the longitudes and latitudes of 

 more than seventy observatories ; and this part of the article I 

 should approve, if it were as correct as it might have been. 

 A good deal of valuable matter might have been collected from 

 the works of the German, Italian and French astronomers, if 

 the writer of the article had aimed at utility. To give an 

 example of error, in page 446 it is stated that the business 

 of the Vienna observatory is now conducted by Treisnecker, 

 who succeeded Hell. But the truth is, that P. Treisnecker 

 was succeeded, three years ago, by Mr. Littrow, and that the 

 erection of a new Imperial observatory was to be commenced 

 under his direction in the spring of 1821, agreeably to the plans 

 of the Baron Zach, the veteran astrononomer of Genoa. Lit- 

 trow has found the latitude of his observatory =48** 12' 35",45, 

 instead of 48" 12' 40" as given in the table above mentioned *. 

 Again, in page 447, the paragraph on the observator}^ of Malta 

 states that the Chevalier d'Angos was a skilful astronomer, 

 and made a great many valuable observations ; while proof 

 has been laid before the public, a considerable time since, by 

 the indefatigable Zach, that d'Angos was a downright im- 

 postor, who invented observations, and with so little regard to 

 theory and calculation as to be inconsistent with each other, 

 and to deserve nothing but our heart}' contempt for their 

 author. 



* I think it will be found lliat flic stalcnicnt i-cspcctinj; ihcinstminents 

 111 the Oxford observatory is in no inconsiderable degree redundant. 



Hoping 



