Davis’s Report on the Nautical Almanac. 321 
the sum appropriated for the “Nautical Almanac” in any way 
whatever; and it may be proper to repeat, that no connection of 
any kind, either expressed or implied, exists between the Nautical 
Almanac and the observatory at Cambridge, or between their re- 
spective directors and assistants. 
Discoveries in astronomy and accurate observation of new phe- 
nomena, are equally valuable wherever made. ‘The optical dis- 
covery of the planet Neptune was not less interesting and avail- 
ble to American astronomers on account of its being made at 
Berlin, than it would have been if made at Washington ; and the 
identification of this planet with Lalande’s star of May 8 and 10, 
1795, was not less important and useful to German astronomers 
because first announced from the national observatory at Wash- 
ington, than if the merit of this determination had belonged to 
the observatory at Berlin. 
mons offered at one time a reward of twenty thousand pounds 
sterling, has been confirmed by the discussion of the observations 
“Washington Observations” of 1846, have supplied the 
Mean places of what are called the “fundamental stars ;” and 
this volume, together with subsequent observations at the same 
instruments, not yet printed, ‘have enabled computers to employ 
ore exact measure of the stn’s diameter. : 
For this and similar reasons, it has been correctly said that the 
hational observatory now contributes to the general sum of the 
tequisite materials for making an almanac of our own. 
7. Whether any persons except the superintendent have been 
paid for services in preparing the “ Nautical Almanac,” and if 
$0, how many, and what compensation have they received ? 
