TWENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, 1839-41. 231 



part of them,) with a number of persons invited by them, either fellows of 

 the society or strangers, met once a year at the royal observatory, inspected 

 the instruments, and discussed the general business of the observatory. 

 They had, I believe, no power, except to recommend measures to the ex- 

 ecutive. The meeting was rather numerous In 1830 the old board was 

 abolished, and a new one appointed, by name, from the Royal and Astro- 

 nomical Societies.* Vacancies are filled up by the president of that society 

 in which the vacancies occur. This board has no power to invite asses- 

 sors ; its powers, as to making representations, &c., are the same as those 

 of the old board. On the first appointment of the new board, there was 

 exhibited in it a rather vexatious spirit towards the then astronomer royal, 

 (Mr. Pond.) Since my appointment as astronomer royal, the board has 

 scarcely interfered in any thing, except in matters which I have myself 

 suggested. 



The visitors receive no pay. Lately it has been ordered that their bare 

 expenses be paid. 



I have given a rather comprehensive answer to No. 1, touching upon the 

 subjects of other questions, and embracing points not at all alluded to in 

 the questions, because, probably, there is no other active institution whose 

 history serves so well to suggest the points to which attention ought to be 

 given in founding a new institution of similar character, as well as the 

 amount of the charges which, in future years, may be required in all the 

 branches of the institution. 



1 omitted to mention that the astronomer royal's account of disburse- 

 ments, and bills for expenses of all kinds connected with the observatory, 

 were formerly audited by tho board of visitors. This audit was found to 

 be insufficient ; and the accounts are now transmitted, in the same way as 

 those of any other department under the admiralty, to the Government 

 offices. 



2. For a plan of the building first erected, I refer again to Baily's Ac- 

 count, $c., cited above. There were a small house, one large room above 

 it, covering nearly the whole house, with lofty windows on all sides, in- 

 tended, I suppose, for gazing astronomical observations, (but quite useless 

 for the purposes of modern astronomy,) a garden or lawn about 80 feet 

 square, and a small low building in one corner of it, in which Flamsteed's 

 really useful instruments were placed. The place was very small. The 

 situation, in the middle of the royal park of Greenwich, has "probably pre- 

 vented the necessity for enclosure so large as would elsewhere be required, 

 inasmuch as it was impossible that houses could be built close to the en- 

 closure. The history in Halley's time is so defective, that I am not certain 

 whether the building, which is to this time the principal observing build, 

 ing, was erected then or not, but I should think that it was ; it was cer- 

 tainly erected before 1750, when Bradley's regular observations begin. It 

 consists of a room about 20 feet square for the transit, and a similar room 

 for the quadrants, (both on the ground floor, and with no rooms above 

 them,) and a central computing room, with room for an assistant above. 

 It is not connected with the dwelling house. When this was erected, the 

 enclosure was nearly doubled. In Dr. Maskelyne's time, two small de- 

 tached rooms were covered with revolving domes, for equatorial instru- 

 ments ; their situation is particularly unfavorable. In the beginning of 

 Dr. Maskelyne's time, the dwelling house was extended. About the end 

 of Dr. Maskelyne's time, the observing building was extended, in prepa- 

 ration for a mural circle, which was not erected till after his death, and 

 some new buildings were erected for library, &c., and for assistant's apart- 

 ments ; a building was erected, to be covered with a revolving dome, (called 



* With a few official persons, as the presidents of the two societies, two profes- 

 sors of the University of Oxford, and two professors of the University of Cam- 

 bridge, ex ojft.ci; the whole number of the visitors being about nineteen. This 

 fluctuates, because all ex-presidents are members of the board. 



