1862.] 59 



July 18th, 1860, but as soon as he was informed ot the Astronomer 

 Royal's views he agreed to join his party, now known as the 

 Himalaya Expedition, from the name of Her Majesty's ship which 

 conveyed the astronomers composing it to Spain. He attributes 

 much of the success of his operations to the admirable arrange- 

 ments of Professor Airy in England, and to those concerted with Mr. 

 Vignoles in Spain ; for he was able in consequence greatly to increase 

 the extent of his preparations, and to convey a complete temporary 

 observatory fitted up with all the numerous requirements which are 

 essential in astronomical photography. Besides himself, his party 

 consisted of Mr. Beckley of the Kew Observatory, Mr. Reynolds 

 (now Mr. De la Rue's private assistant), Mr. Downes, and Mr. E. 

 Beck, and subsequently the late Mr. Clark. The author expresses 

 himself greatly indebted to these gentlemen for their most efficient 

 assistance. 



The party took up their station at a village called Rivabellosa, 

 situated near the town of Miranda de Ebro ; the site selected was a 

 thrashing-floor, on which the observatory was erected. 



The instruments employed consisted of the Kew heliograph, for 

 the photographic records ; an achromatic telescope, by Dallmeyer, 

 mounted on a sort of alt-azimuth stand contrived by the Astronomer 

 Royal, which permitted of an equatorial movement by the ingeni- 

 ously arranged joint action of two racked radius bars. To this tele- 

 scope the author fitted a diagonal eyepiece of his own contrivance, 

 which allowed of the use of reflexion from plain glass in the first 

 instance, and then from a portion silvered on the top surface the 

 instant the period of totality commenced. By its means he avoided 

 the perplexity and loss of time occasioned in unscrewing and screwing 

 portions of the apparatus at the most critical period. To these were 

 added a small transit theodolite, three chronometers, two baro- 

 meters, and several thermometers. 



The weather proved so unpropitious that it was with much diffi- 

 culty the objects of the party could be carried out ; and it was only 

 by using every available opportunity that even the Kew instrument 

 could be placed in position. 



The geographical position of the site of the observatory was ascer- 

 tained to be north latitude 42 42', west longitude 11' 42"'7, 

 elevation above the mean high-water mark 1572-4 feet. 



