Miscellanies. 225 
sums, principally of fifty dollars. In addition to these individual con- 
tributions, the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge gave one 
thousand dollars; and this lead to the societies was almost simultane- 
ously given by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences with the 
still larger donation of three thousand dollars ; the other societies which 
contributed, are the American, Merchants and National Insurance Com- 
panies, and Humane Society, each of which gave five hundred dollars ; 
the Neptune and Washington Insurance Companies, each of which gave 
three hundred dollars; the Equitable Safety Insurance, which gave two 
hundred and fifty dollars ; and the Tremont Insurance Company, which 
gave two hundred dollars. 
The location of the present observatory is very bad on many ac- 
counts; so that about a year since, the Corporation of Harvard Uni- 
versity had wisely profited by an advantageous opportunity to purchase 
the best possible site in its vicinity for astronomical purposes. The po- 
sition is elevated, and commands in every direction a clear horizon, 
without any danger of molestation from trees, houses, smoke, or other 
causes, and with hills well situated for the erection of meridian and 
prime vertical marks. Upon this, which is known as Summer House 
Hill, the Sears Tower will be erected, with the other buildings for mag- 
netic, meteorological and astronomical observations, and the house for 
the observer. The funds invested in the observatory, when it is com- 
pleted, will amount to thirty-five or forty thousand dollars; consisting, 
besides the above twenty-five thousand dollars, in the house and lands 
given by the College, the extensive magnetic apparatus given by the 
American Academy, a telescope for occultations and eclipses from Fran- 
cis Peabody of Salem, Mr. Bond’s astronomical clock, transit telescope, 
telescope for occultations, and his other instruments; and lastly, the nev- 
er-to-be-forgotten little comet seeker belonging to President Quincy, 
with which Mr. Bond first detected the head of the recent comet, and 
was enabled to make his observation of the 9th of March, and to which 
instrument we are largely indebted for the contribution of these funds. 
The new instruments which will probably be purchased if the funds 
should prove to be sufficient, are, an equatorial telescope of the largest 
class, being of the same dimensions with the celebrated Pulkova tele- 
scope; a transit circle; a small equatorial of six feet focal length; a 
comet seeker of the largest size; and a zenith sector. With these in- 
struments, the observatory will be as well endowed as any in the world, 
for the class of observations to which it will be principally devoted. 
4. Notice of Botanical Collections.—We take much pleasure in an- 
nouncing that three enterprising botanists are now engaged in exploring 
the most interesting portions of the far West, and that their collections 
Vol. xxv, No. 1.—April-June, 1843. 29 
