ASTRONOMICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL WORKERS. 



85 



Your Lordship will perceive that the Commission report that the 

 Instruments and Books (lenerally are in good condition, hnt that the buiklinfjs 

 from want of timely repairs, are in a very delapidated state ; and on this 

 point (as the Observatory is within one hundred yards of the Government 

 House at Parraniatta, and imnrediatoly under wy o/tm eye) I can state that 

 I am clearly of opinion that no repairs which could now be executed — short 

 of entirely rebuilding the premises — would put them in a habitable or 

 efficient state 



Your Lordship will further observe that Mr. Dunlop is anxious to resign 

 his appointment on account of the state of his health, which renders him 

 incapable of attending to his duties. And as, since receiving the report of 

 the Commission, I have been inforvned by Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon that 

 the building cannot be even temporarily repaired without considerable 

 expense, I have, in order to preserve the Instruments, etc., from further 

 injury, directed that they shoidd he packed up in boxes and placed in charge 

 of the Ordnance Storekeeper, until your Lordship's further wishes are made 

 known to me. 



I have, etc , 

 (Signed) CHARLES A. FITZROY. 



To Earl Grey. 



[APPENDIX L] 



13th August, 1847. 

 Since the Report of the Board was sent in I have seen 

 Colonel Gordon, who said that Captain King concurred with 

 him in thinking that instead of incurring the expense of 

 covering in any portion of the Observatory for the preserva- 

 tion of the instruments, it would be better to have them put 

 up in boxes and placed in the Ordnance Stores. — 4th August. 



A, J. F. 



Reported 

 to H. M, 

 Secretary of 

 State by 

 Despatch, 

 141 



No, 



1847 



7/500. 

 47/656L 



[APPENDIX J.] 



Forwarded 



to H. M. 



Secretary of 



State by 



Despatch, 



176 



No. 



1847 



Observatory, Parramatta, 



18th August, 1847. 

 To THE Board of Visitors of the Parramatta Observatory : 



Gentlemen. — The observations were commenced by me 

 about the middle of January, 1832, with a five-and-a-half (5i) 

 feet transit and a two (2) feet mural circle by Troughton, and 

 continued until the transit was replaced by Jones' three-and- 

 a-half (85) feet transit circle in the middle of the year 1835, 

 after which the mural circle was principally used, the circle 

 by Jones being very difficult for one person to work. 



The observations consist of right ascensions and polar 

 distances with moon, culminating stars, comets, &c. The 

 reductions of a portion of the observations between 1832 and 

 1835 have been proceeded with, but, having no assistant or 

 clerk, they have not proceeded so far as I could wish. 



The buildings of this Observatory are in a very bad state 

 of repair. The white ant has been most destructive, and, as 

 the surrounding ground is full of them, it would be fruitless 

 to attempt a repair, which could not last above two or three 

 years at most. The building was originally of a very inferior 

 description, being only intended as a private establishment 

 and not calculated to last beyond a few years. (The building 

 was commenced in December, 1821, and the instruments 

 were fixed and the observations commenced about the 11th of 

 March, 1822.) 



The subsoil is alumina schistose, into which the stone piers 



