COMPARISON-STARS. C1I1 



The Washington observations were reduced by Prof. Yarnall with the aid of special tables, 

 which immediately refer the declinations to the mean equinox for the commencement of the 

 nearest decade, being in almost all cases 1860.0 



The declinations, as observed with the mural circle, were usually accompanied, for"the sake 

 of identification, by the apparent right-ascension, roughly noted at the time of transit over 

 the middle thread of the instrument, so that the several observations were, for the most part, 

 given in the form of approximate apparent right-ascensions and mean declinations for the 

 epoch 1860.0. The right-ascensions of the first seven stars in the list were determined with the 

 Washington transit-instrument, and reduced also to the mean equinox of 1860.0 by Prof. 

 Lawrence. The right ascensions of the remainder are either estimated for the apparent equinox 

 by the observer, as already mentioned, in which case they are enclosed within parentheses, or 

 in the other cases taken to the nearest second from such sources as were most readily accessible 

 by myself, and referred to the epoch of the declinations. A few star-positions for 1850.0, taken 

 from earlier Washington observations, are incorporated in the list. But all the places, for 

 which the contrary is not specially indicated by parentheses or otherwise, are counted Irom the 

 mean equinox and equator of 1860.0. 



Annexed to the table of observations is a compend analogous to that which follows the 

 Santiago observations, and containing the resultant list of declinations determined by the 

 Naval Observatory. It gives the means of the several determinations as counted from the mean 

 equinox of 1860.0, and also the reductions to the beginning of the year in which the comparison 

 was made. The right-ascensions are, of course, entitled to the same confidence as in the pre- 

 ceding tables from which they are derived. As was the case with the arrangement of the 

 Santiago star-places, the reference-numbers given in the last column of the table of observations 

 denote the number of the star in the special list, and those given in the special list relate to 

 the number in the General Catalogue of Comparison-Stars. 



