TWENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, 1839-41. 



229 



Estimate of the appropriations from the annual income of the Smithsonian 

 fund, assumed to be thirty thousand dollars. 



For the purchase of land, and construction of the necessary 



buildings one year $30,000 



For a fund, from the yearly income of which the compensation 



of the observing astronomer shall be paid, two years 60,000 



The interest of this sum will be $3,600 a year, of which 

 $3,000 a year may be fixed as the salary of the astronomer, 

 and $600 for the incidental and contingent expenses of re- 

 pairs upon the buildings, as they may be required. 

 For a fund, from the yearly income of which four assistants to 

 the astronomer, and two laborers necessary for attendance on 

 him, for the care and preservation of the buildings four years 120,000 



The income would be $7,200 a year, of which $6,000 a year 

 might be for the compensation of four assistants, at $1,500 

 a year each, and two laborers, each at $600 a year. 



For the purchase and procurement of instruments one year 30,000 



Of this, $20,000 might be applied to furnish an assortment 

 of the best instruments to be procured, and $10,000 a fund, 

 from the interest of which other instruments may be from 

 time to time procured, as occasions for the use of them may 

 arise, and for repairs of the instruments, as needed. 



For the library one year 30,000 



$10,000 for first supply ; $20,000 for a fund for an income 

 of $1,200 a year, for a constant supply of new works and 

 periodical publications upon science in other parts of the 

 world, or in America. 



.Estimate for a fund, from the income of which $1,800 a year 

 shall be defrayed the expense of the yearly publication of the 

 observations, and of a nautical almanac one year 30,000 



John Q. Adams to Christopher Hughes. 



WASHINGTON, April 10, 1839. 



DEAR SIR : I wish to obtain information upon the following points rela- 

 ting to the royal observatory at Greenwich : 



1. By whom, and at whose expense, was the royal observatory at Green- 

 wich built ? At whose expense is it maintained ? 



2. What are the buildings connected with it, and how much land is there 

 around it belonging to it ? 



3. Has it at any time been rebuilt, or has its construction been in any- 

 wise altered ? 



4. By whom is the astronomer royal appointed and paid ? What is the 

 amount of his compensation ? 



5. What are his duties? and in what manner are they prescribed ? Is 

 there a standing instruction to regulate his observations? Is he required 

 to make reports ? and. if so, to whom ? 



6. Are there any other persons attached to the observatory as assistants, 

 calculators, or servants ? If so, what are their duties and their compensa- 

 tion ? 



7. What are the instruments used at the observatory ? By whom, and 

 at whose expense, are they furnished ? What was their cost, and by whom 

 were they made? A list of them, with their prices, and their maker's 

 ,name, would be very acceptable. 



