IX 



eluding Pritchard's friend, Lord Chancellor Hatherley. No one knew 

 more than Sir John Hersohel of the qualifications of Pritchard to 

 fulfil the required conditions necessary for giving sound instruction 

 on theoretical and practical astronomy. It was, therefore, by Sir 

 John's urgent recommendation, together with the advice of other 

 leading Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society, that the Lord 

 Chancellor was prevailed upon to exercise his great influence in his 

 favour. No doubt this high patronage had its value, for at a meeting 

 of the trustees, held early in 1870, he had the good fortune to be 

 elected Savilian Professor of Astronomy. 



Now comes a remarkable example of the intellectual strength and 

 energy of Pritchard's character. At the date of his appointment he 

 had reached the age of sixty-two, and, at the same time, had had very 

 little personal experience of the practical work required in a large 

 observatory. Most people of his age and habits, after having passed 

 a busy life, are naturally looking forward to some relief from 

 their ordinary daily occupations ; or, at any rate, they are generally 

 desirous to maintain, in any new ofncial position, some conservatism 

 of ideas and methods. But this was in no way the case with Pro- 

 fessor Pritchard, who at once resolved that his Professorship was to 

 be no sinecure for him; but that, on the contrary, he felt sure that 

 some instrumental means would be found to enable him to contribute 

 his share towards the progress of some of the most delicate problems 

 in astronomical physics. To effect this, however, a new University 

 Observatory would be required, and how this could be accomplished 

 was for some time the principal subject that occupied his thoughts. 

 In due time he laid his proposition before the governing authorities 

 of the University, requesting that the Savilian Professor should be 

 provided with astronomical instruments adequate to the instruction 

 of his class and for the purposes of original research. The formal 

 application was made to Convocation in March, 1873, when a liberal 

 sum of money was granted, sufficient for the purchase of a refracting 

 telescope of 12^ inches aperture, and for erecting a suitable building 

 to contain it. This grant was soon afterwards supplemented by Dr. 

 Warren De La Hue's munificent gift of his 13-inch reflecting telescope, 

 and many other valuable astronomical instruments, formerly belong- 

 ing to his private observatory at Cranford. Thus, before the end of 

 1875, the University Observatory was completed, fully equipped and 

 ready for active work for the promotion of the study of practical and 

 philosophical astronomy. 



It is not possible to find space in this notice for an adequate 

 description of the numerous contributions to astronomical physics 

 emanating from the labours of Professor Pritchard and his two 

 assistants. With instruments of the most modern construction, they 

 have been able to accomplish much that is new in some of the most 



