ORIGIN AND OPERATIONS 



poor deferentially waiting until their more fortunate countrymen gave place within the build- 

 ing. Few at a time could enter; and irksome as it was to repeat the same explanations to half 

 a dozen or more parties every evening during nearly three mouths, we cheerfully persevered, 

 and perhaps with good effect. We had been told by acquaintances that the lower classes living 

 on and near the base of the hill were men of vicious propensities, whom it would be hazardous 

 to meet unarmed at a late hour of the night ; but, to their credit be it said, we were never 

 molested, even by a word, in the nearly three years during which we went up to and left the 

 observatory at all hours. May not our civility, when they came desiring to see the telescope 

 and the curious objects it displayed, have secured their good will ? But the custom of opening 

 the observatory to visitors gave rise to a report that we had come to Chile as expounders of 

 astronomy. Our arrival and purposes had been duly published ; but in a country where there 

 are so few journals and so limited a circle of readers our position was not readily comprehended. 

 Without exception, the foreigners who had previously settled among them came to accumulate, 

 not to spend money, and the mass reasonably supposed we had a like object. Perhaps this con- 

 tributed to make credible among large numbers that an astronomical class was to be formed, 

 admission to which was earnestly sought by many of our evening visiters. 



Passed Midshipman Hunter, injured by being thrown from a horse early in January, returned 

 to the United States by the first public vessel, and in September following the vacancy was 

 filled by Mr. S. L. Phelps, who took my place at the circle. All the subsequent zone observa- 

 tions were made by Lieut. MacRae and himself. In January, 1851, an accident to the micro- 

 meter-screw that moves its horizontal system of wires, made it necessary for the assistants to 

 work jointly at the zones, and, as it was manifestly impossible for them to be up every night, 

 as soon as the first series on Venus terminated, I devoted the alternate nights with the circle to 

 examination of such of Lacaille's stars between our zenith and pole as had never been twice 

 observed. Messrs. Pistor & Martins, however, sent us new screws with the least possible delay, 

 and at the close of June we could work as before.* 



Most of the several hundred errors which were detected in these months of examination, and 

 subsequently, have already been announced in the pages of the "Astronomical Journal" and 

 the "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society." 



From June to October, in which last month the series on Venus commenced, the weather 

 proved more unfavorable for observations than in any year since that of 1827 so said intelli- 

 gent citizens and there were only one third of the nights suitable for zone work ; but we were 

 able to observe the moon and stars selected from published catalogues, quite one half the time. 

 Between October 19 and February 10, 1851, differential measures of the planet and comparing 

 star were made on fifty-one nights ; and there were seventy-three meridian observations, at 

 which time its diameter also was measured, and the absolute places of several standard stars 

 observed, one or more of which occupied nearly the same parallel of declination. Owing to its 

 very frequent tremulous or pulsatory motion in the evening twilight, the differential measures 

 when approaching its eastern stationary terms were often found difficult, and rarely afforded 

 much satisfaction. As example to the contrary, however, the following remarks on one evening 

 may be quoted to show that reliable measures are not impossible : 



^ November 14. An extremely fine evening throughout. Both objects are defined with pre- 

 cision and move steadily. Except those marked 'tremulous' (1) and 'blurred,' (3) it would 

 not have been possible for me to make better measures with so little difference between the 

 times of transit, and so large an angle through which to move the micrometer screw." 



There were twenty-seven measurements made between 227t. 58m, and 0/t. 18m. sidereal time, 

 the difference of right ascension at the first being 50s., and at the last 44.4s., and of declination 

 at corresponding periods V 50" and 2' 12". But in the morning twilight the atmosphere was 



* Again tl.oso distinguished artists merited earnest commendation, as well for the promptitude with which they delivered these 

 dehcate portions of the instrument to be forwarded to us by mail, as for their disinterestedness ia declining to make any charge 

 therefor. 



