NOVEMBER 24, 1899. ] 
as recommended by you in that report for 
1897, ‘‘to make up for the refusal to them 
of the privilege of retirement, and also to 
secure men of high scientific attainments 
adequate to the demands of one of the most 
capable observatories in the world.’’ To 
secure the services of the ablest astronomers 
the salaries provided should be slightly 
larger than those paid in the higher class 
of university observatories and account 
should be taken of the fact that university 
vacations are much longer than leaves of 
absence from the public service. The 
Board of Visitors recommends the fol- 
lowing as a schedule of salaries which 
could be expected to attract astronomers of 
the class desired : 
Astronomical Director...................+00+ $6000. 
Director of Nautical Almanac ..... Beane 5000. 
First Astronomer... ............eceeeeeee ees 4000. 
Second BGR AP aN AO UE esas aera aoe 3600 
Third PSP aeUnC a: Recttnn hat gee aces 3200. 
Fourth CON NE oS Re Soceme teeaaw eek erases 2800 
First Assistant Astronomert...............-. 2400. 
Second ‘‘ CO ACTER Have Eee amr 2200. 
ehird iso Cail eds senvasGemene ce 2000. 
The experience of every great observa- 
tory shows that the efficiency of its staff is 
materially increased by the provision of 
quarters near the observing rooms for those 
persons who are engaged in work by night, 
and we recommend that there should be 
quarters provided upon the observatory 
grounds for all members of the astronom- 
ical staff regularly assigned to night work. 
In concluding its recommendations, the 
Board of Visitors wishes earnestly to urge 
upon your consideration the necessity of 
making a success of the movement which 
you have begun, in order to improve the 
condition of the Naval Observatory, and to 
make its administration satisfactory to the 
great body of the astronomers of the coun- 
try and to the public. 
Some of our recommendations, if they 
meet your approval, can be carried into 
effect by departmental action, but the 
SCIENCE. 
751 
changes which we regard as vital can only 
be obtained through legislation by Con- 
gress. If such legislation is withheld, the 
continuance of present conditions is sure to 
result in a renewed, persistent, and pos- 
sibly acrimonious demand for the removal 
of the observatory from naval control. If, 
however, the legislation is enacted, and the 
improved system is given a fair trial, un- 
questionably much improvement will result, 
and it is not improbable that the obsery- 
atory will attain and hold that high stand- 
ing in the scientific world which should be 
required of such an institution. 
To help bring about such a desirable con- 
summation, we have complied with your 
request, although not made in pursuance 
of any law, that we should visit and inves- 
tigate the observatory, and we have recom- 
mended specific measures which we hope 
will lead to those reforms in administration 
which are imperatively necessary if the ob- 
servatory is to receive and retain the confi- 
dence and support of the astronomers and 
scientists of the world. 
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE GEO- 
GRAPHICAL SECTION OF THE BRITISH 
ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCE- 
MENT OF SCIENCE. * 
I. 
In his opening address to the members of 
the British Association at the Ipswich 
meeting, the President cast a retrospective 
glance at the progress that had taken place 
in the several branches of scientific inquiry 
from the time of the formation of the Asso- 
ciation in 1831 down to 1895, the year in 
which were published the last two of the 
fifty volumes of reports containing the 
scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. 
Challenger. In that very able and detailed 
review there is no reference whatever to 
the work of the numerous expeditions 
which had been fitted out by this and other 
countries for the exploration of the depths 
* Dover, 1899. 
