529 



table owner, on several visits, the cloudy atmosphere of Newcastle 

 had always prevented any good observations being made. 



An argument in favour, however, of the increase of height was 

 ascertained through means of radiation instruments, which indicated 

 almost as much improvement between 10,700 and 8900 feet, as be- 

 tween the latter height and the sea-level. This unexpected degree 

 is attributed by the author to the circumstance of the highest station 

 being almost clear of certain dry, hazy, or dusty strata of atmo- 

 sphere, which include and overtop the intermediate station, and are, 

 next to the clouds themselves, the greatest obstacle to good telescopic 

 vision of the heavenly bodies. The results with regard to the 

 clouds were equally satisfactory, for ^ths of the whole were found 

 to be under the level of 5000 feet. 



The author expresses the most cordial thanks to Sir Charles 

 Wood, the First Lord of the Admiralty, for his intelligent liberality, 

 to which the Expedition owed its existence ; also to Lord Clarendon, 

 the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, for his letters to the 

 Spanish Government and to the English Customs ; and he acknow- 

 ledges with pleasure the amount of assistance which he received 

 from many private gentlemen, friends of science, through whose 

 contributions he was enabled to execute, with a limited grant, and 

 in a circumscribed portion of time, a much greater amount of work 

 than he could otherwise have hoped for ; those gentlemen were, 

 Robert Stephenson, Esq., M.P., G. B. Airy, Esq., H. L. Pattinson, 

 Esq., Dr. J. Lee, Prof. Stokes, the late Admiral Beechey, Admirals 

 FitzRoy, Manners and Smyth, Prof. Baden Powell, J, Gassiot, Esq., 

 Capt. Washington, and Messrs. Cooke and Adie. 



In the island of Teneriffe, Prof. Piazzi Smyth also received va- 

 luable aid in many ways from C. Smith, Esq., of Orotava, formerly 

 of Trinity College, Cambridge, L. Hamilton, Esq., of Santa. Cruz, 

 Don Francisco Aquilan, Spanish engineer, and more particularly 

 from the acting Vice-Consul of Orotava, Andrew Goodall, Esq., and 

 his nephew Mr. Carpenter, who were aiding and abetting, and in 

 fact forming an important part of the Expedition during its whole 

 stay in Teneriffe. 



