ASTRONOMICAL AND METKOKOLOGICAL WORKERS. 65 



the passage to England, and it would appear that he left Parra- 

 matta about the end of June, 1827, whicli would have given him 

 sixteen montlis for nebula) and doulile stars, and two years and 

 eight months for meridian work, or, in all, four years, not two 

 and a-quarter years as stated. 



A catalogue of six hundred and twenty-one nebulae and 

 clusters of stars observed at Parramatta by James Dunlop was 

 presented to the Royal Society in 1828, by Sir John Herschel, 

 and read on December 20th, 1827. In a letter with this Mr. 

 Dunlop says : — The following nebuhe and clusters of stars in 

 the Southern Hemisphere were observed by me at my house in 

 Parramatta, situated 6" of a degree south and about 1.78" of 

 time east of the Brisbane Observatory. The reductions and 

 arrangement have been pi'incipally made since my return to 

 Europe." 



Dunlop further says : — " ' The places of the small stars in the 

 nebuhe, major and minor, and also those accompanying Eta 

 Robur Caroli (^Eta argus), I ascertained by the mural circle in 

 the year 1825, at which time I was preparing to commence a 

 general survey of the Southeini Hemisphere." The nebulaa are 

 arranged in order of polar distance for the Epoch 1827, and in a 

 paper read before the Royal Astronomical Society (p. 258) on 

 May 8th, 1828 he says in a letter to Sir Thomas Brisbane: — " You 

 are aware that during your administration of the Government of 

 the Colony of New South Wales, my time and attention were 

 wholly devoted in your employ to the Parramatta Observatory, in 

 the miscellaneous observations which occurred, and principally 

 collecting materials towards the formation of a catalogue of 

 .stars ; and your departure from the Colony prevented me from 

 pursuing that branch further. Finding myself in possession of 

 telescopes* (a nine-inch reflector, nine-feet focus) which I considered 

 capable of adding considerably to our knowledge of the nebulae 

 and double stars in that portion of the heavens, I resolved to 

 remain behind to prosecute my favorite pursuits in collecting 

 materials towards the formation of a catalogue of nebulae, &c. 

 In the case of stars marked with an asterisk their positions, 

 declinations, &c., are the result of micrometrical measurements 

 with the forty-six inchf achromatic telescope, mounted on the 

 equatorial stand, which you left with me. The micrometers 

 were constructed by myself, consisting of a parallel line 

 micrometer, the screws of which I bestowed great pains upon, 

 and which I consider very excellent and uniform." 



It is evident from these extracts that Dunlop's survey of the 

 heavens was projected before Sir Thomas left or resigned his 

 authority on December 1st, 1825, and that he lent Dunlop the 



*Be uses the plural, but I have onlj- found the dimensions of one reflecting telescope, 

 t Now in Sydney Observatory 

 F 



