BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN ASTRONOMY 59 



but the endowment of astronomical research in America 

 owes a large debt to his energy and efforts. 



The navy and the United States naval academy (founded 

 by Bancroft in 1845, at the suggestion of Chauvenet) were 

 very active in astronomical work. Chauvenet published a 

 text book of trigonometry in 1850, which had an important 

 share in directing attention to rigid, elegant, and general 

 methods of research. His astronomy (1863) is a handbook 

 for all students. Walker, Gilliss, Coffin, Hubbard, Fergu- 

 son, Keith, Yarnall, Winlock, Maury, Wilkes, were all con- 

 nected wdth the navy, more or less intimately. Walker's 

 career was especially brilliant; he graduated at Harvard col- 

 lege in 1825, and established the observatory of the Phila- 

 delphia high school in 1840. He was the leading spirit in the 

 United States naval obsei-vatory at Washington (1845-1847) 

 and introduced modern methods into its practice at the be- 

 ginning. From the observatory he went to the coast survey 

 to take charge of its longitude operations, and he continued 

 to direct and expand this department until his death, in 1853. 

 To him, more than to any single person, is due the idea of the 

 telegraphic method (''the American method") of determin- 

 ing differences of longitude. His assistant in this work was 

 Gould, who succeeded to the charge of it in 1853. His re- 

 searches extended to the field of mathematical astronomy 

 also, and his theory of the planet Neptune (then newly dis- 

 covered) marks an important step forward. His investiga- 

 tions and those of Peirce were conducted in concert and at- 

 tracted general and deserved attention. 



The exploring expedition of Wilkes required correspond- 

 ing observations to be made in America, and during the period 

 1838-1842 William Bond, at Dorchester, and Lieutenant 

 Gilliss, at Washington, maintained such a series wdth infinite 

 assiduity and with success. The results of Gilliss' astronom- 

 ical expedition to the southern hemisphere (Chile, 1849-1852) 

 were most creditable to him and to the navy, though his im- 

 mediate object — the determination of the solar parallax — 

 was not attained. 



The coast survey began its work in 1817 under Hassler, a 

 professor from West Point, who impressed upon the estab- 



