16 EARLY HISTORY OF THE NAUTICAL ALMANAC. 



occurs in Davies Grilbert's "Parochial History of Cornwall," 

 vol. ii, in which, a brief biographical notice of Malachy Hitchins 

 is given. It has, unfortunately, been reproduced in subsequent 

 references to his connection with the Greenwich Observatory, 

 — notably almost verhatim in Lake's "History of Cornwall;" 

 and it is not long since that I have heard the same error repeated 

 in conversation. The erroneous paragraph as given in Lake's 

 "Cornwall," vol. ii, p. 137, is as follows: — 



" Mr. Hitchins was soon noticed by the mathematicians, and 

 recommended to the Eev. Nevil Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal, to 

 assist him at the Royal Observatory ; and when that gentleman 

 went to St. Helena in 1761 to observe the transit of Venus, and 

 to ascertain, if it were possible, the parallax of Sirius, Mr. 

 Hitchins had the whole care of the Observatory entrusted to 

 him." 



When Dr. Maskelyne went to St. Helena in 1761 to observe 

 the transit of Venus and other astronomical phenomena, Dr- 

 Bradley, who died in 1762, was the Astronomer Royal, and at 

 that time Dr. Maskelyne had no official oonnection with the 

 Royal Observatory. Dr. Bradley was succeeded by Dr. Bliss, 

 who died in 1764, and Dr. Maskelyne was appointed Astronomer 

 Royal in the beginning of 1765, shortly after which Mr. 

 Hitchins came to Grreenwich for a time to take part in the calcu- 

 lations of the new ephemeris. At the request of the Council of 

 the Royal Society, Mr. William Bayley, Dr. Maskelyne's sole 

 assistant, was sent to the North Cape to observe the transit of 

 Venus of 1769, and during his absence of several months, Mr. 

 Hitchins took his place at the Observatory, and observed daily 

 with the meridian instruments, from about the middle of April 

 to near the end of July, and on June 3rd he was one of the 

 observers of the transit of Venus. '^' During anj' temporary 

 absence of the Astronomer Royal, he was most likely entrusted 

 with the charge of the Observatory till the return of Mr. Bayley, 

 when it would appear that his astronomical observations ceased. 



* The transit of Venus of June 3rd, 1769, was observed at the Royal Obser- 

 vatory by Dr. Maskelyne, Mr. Hitchins, and five other observers who came to 

 Greenwich for the special purpose of observing the transit. Mr. J. Bradley, 

 nephew of Dr. Bradley, and formerly an assistant at the Royal Observatory, was 

 also sent by Dr. Maskelyne into Cornwall, where he observed the transit success- 

 fully at the Lizard. 



