348 HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY. 



turbed nor rendered confused; so that with the transit 

 circle, either 7 wires may be observed by ear, or 9 by 

 touch ; and with the altazimuth, either 6 by ear or 6 by 

 touch. 



Professor Airy remarks that this apparatus is now 

 generally efficient. It is troublesome in use : consuming 

 much time in the galvanic preparations, the preparation 

 of the paper, and the translation of the puncture indica- 

 tions into figures. But among the observers who use it, 

 there is but one opinion on its astronomical merits that, 

 in freedom from personal equation and in general ac- 

 curacy, it is very far superior to the observations by eye 

 and ear. 



Electro-magnetic registering apparatus has also been 

 introduced by Dr. Lamont at the Munich observatory 

 and is described in the work, " Beschreibung der an 

 der Miinchener Sternwarte zu den Beobachtungen ver- 

 wendeten neuen Instrumente und Apparate von Dr. La- 

 mont, Munchen, 1851." 



It is not known that the American method of observ- 

 ing has been introduced into any other observatories of 

 Europe ; but M. Leverrier, the Director of the Imperial 

 observatory of Paris, has recently drawn up a Eeport in 

 which he recommends to construct a large meridian 

 circle, and to economise the resources presented by 

 dynamical electricity, in order to assure to the observa- 

 tions all the precision of which they are susceptible. 



