JANUARY 4, 1901.] 
The board makes a comparison between 
the Naval Observatory and the observato- 
ries at Greenwich and Harvard, selecting 
the former because it is supposed to cover 
nearly the same field, and the latter because 
it also undertakes large pieces of routine 
work which are beyond the reach of smaller 
observatories, because the resources of Har- 
vard approach more nearly than do any 
other those of the Naval Observatory, and 
because all the details of the Harvard Ob- 
servatory were readily available, its director 
being a member of the board. 
T ask the attention of the Bureau to the 
following table, which gives an exact com- 
parison of the three observatories chosen 
by the board, and which, almost without 
elucidation, confutes the sole and only 
charge made by the board against the effi- 
ciency of the Observatory upou which 
charge the only recommendation of the 
board rests. 
Comparison of number and cost of scien- 
tific personnel of Greenwich, Harvard, and 
Naval observatories, previous to July 1, 
1900: 
GREENWICH OBSERVATORY. 
Scientific personnel. No. AVEIAEE: Total 
IDMRAOHOE -so00n spsgoaQcacoosooHdOdaduD 1 $5, 000 $5,000 
Chief assistants. 2 2,550 5,100 
First-cluss assistants. . 4 2,000 8,000 
Second-class assistants .. 4 1,200 4,800 
Magnetic superintendent 1 1,700 1,700 
Assistant magnetic superintendent. il 1,000 1,000 
Computersieem see eeseeeteeciselnil 23 325 7,475 
AOA  conacocosaoncaqsod0d002 00000. BB ||scococc000 $33,075 
HARVARD COLLEGE OBSERVATORY 
IDRECION Ss oocscocodasudonsDUGGGcOaRS 1 | $5,000 $5,000 
Astronomers.............. 6 2,000 12,000 
Assistant astronomers ... 13 900 11,700 
Computers ............. . - 18 600 10,800 
TONG! sooq06 scadadconcd9aDaNDgscQD000 @3) |lss5soacas $39,500 
UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY. 
Astronomical director ............. 1 | $3,500 $3,500 
Other profes-ors of mathematies...| 4 2,700 10,800 
Ass'stant ustronomers.............. 3 1,900 5,600 
Conpuputersieen-c eee eee ee neem 6 1,200 7,200 
Photographers: 22... ccc csee cscs cee 1 1,200 1,200 
WOW odcoocnboemonconaocacosoageDe 16) lose cote $28,300 
A comparison of the figures in this table 
shows that the number of astronomers em- 
SCIENCE 9 
ployed at the Naval Observatory is 5, at 
Greenwich 3, at Harvard 7. The Naval 
Observatory has the advantage of Green- 
wich and decidedly the disadvantage of 
Harvard. In the matter of assistants, 
however, the case is different. The total 
of assistants at Greenwich is 8, at Harvard 
18, and at the Observatory 3; while the 
computers stand, Greenwich 23, Harvard 
18, Naval Observatory 6. 
In the years 1891 to 1893 the Observatory 
was removed from the site which it had 
occupied for nearly fifty years, to its present 
situation. The delays in building, the labor 
of dismounting and remounting the instru- 
ments, the repairs and alterations of the 
same and their subsequent installation, the 
removal of the records and Observatory: 
property, and generally the labor involved 
in settling in the new place, absorbed the 
entire time of the whole very limited work- 
ing force of the Observatory for several 
years. The publication of results, from 
this cause and from this cause alone, fell 
into arrears. The force of the astronomical 
staff, sufficient for current work in settled 
times, was totally inadequate to bring up 
back work when the work had fallen be- 
hind. It was simply a physical impossi- 
bility to keep up the publications, and to 
make the current observations and do the 
necessary work of removal at the same 
time. This and thisalone is the cause of the 
delay in printing, and when the number of 
assistants and computers at the Observatory 
is contrasted with the numbers at Green- 
wich, and especially at Harvard, the delay 
is reasonable on its face. These facts were 
represented to the board, but are nowhere 
given in itsreport. The board, on the con- 
trary, evaded and concealed them. It might 
have reasonably been shown that during 
the whole of this transition period current 
work was practically uninterrupted, and 
that the number of observations made at 
the old and new Observatories kept pace 
