6 io The Smithsonian Institution 



ANNUAL REPORTS ON THE PROGRESS OF ASTRONOMY 



UNDER the editorship of Professor S. F. Baird the firm of 

 Harper & Brothers, of New York, published a " Record of 

 Science and Industry " from month to month in " Harper's 

 Magazine," and as an annual volume from 1871 to 1878. 

 The articles relating to the progress of astronomy were 

 written by Professor Cleveland Abbe till 1875, and for the 

 years 1876, 1877, and 1878 by Doctor Edward S. Holden. 



From the year 1879 onwards this record of the progress of 

 astronomy was printed in the annual Report of the Smithson- 

 ian Institution, the articles for the years 1879 to 1885 being 

 written by Doctor Holden, and from 1885 to 1892 by Mr. 

 William C. Winlock, of the Institution. 



In 1879 a circular was prepared by Doctor Holden and 

 sent by the Smithsonian Institution to different observatories. 

 The answers to this circular gave valuable information as to 

 the instrumental equipment of the different establishments, as 

 to their past work and that proposed for the future, etc., and 

 were printed in the Reports for 1879 (edited by Doctor 

 Holden) and for 1886 (edited by Mr. George H. Boehmer). 



The inevitable limitations of space and the necessary omis- 

 sion of technical considerations made all these annual reviews 

 very unsatisfactory to their compilers ; but, after taking much 

 pains to be correctly informed, it is my opinion that they 

 have been of considerable value to unscientific readers, and 

 of some slight, though real, convenience to astronomers. 

 The "Bibliography of Astronomy" for the year 1888 (printed 

 in the Report for 1888), by Mr. Winlock, was an attempt to 

 vary the form in which astronomical information should be 

 given. In this case the essential benefit was to professional 

 astronomers and librarians. 



