930 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 129. 



1636), Yale College (1701), the University 

 of Virginia (founded by Jefferson in 1825) 

 and the United States Military Academy 

 at West Point (1801), were the chief foci 

 from which the light of learning spread. 

 Other colleges were formed or forming all 

 over the Eastern and Middle States during 

 the early years of the century. 



The leading school of pure science was 

 the Military Academy at West Point, and 

 it continued to hold this place until the 

 Civil War of 1861. From its corps of pro- 

 fessors and students it gave two chiefs to 

 the U. S. Coast Survey ; and the army, par- 

 ticularly the corps of engineers, provided 

 many observers to that scientific establish- 

 ment, besides furnishing a large number 

 of professors and teachers of science to the 

 colleges of the country. The observatory 

 of the Academy was founded by Bartlett, 

 in 1841, and much work was done there, 

 only a small part of which is published. 

 The Coast Survey was a school of prac- 

 tice for army oflBcers, and their experi- 

 ence was utilized in numerous boundary- 

 surveys during the period 1830-50. Colonel 

 J. D. Graham, for example, was Astronomer 

 of the survey of the boundary between 

 Texas and the United States in 1839-40 ; 

 Commissioner of the Northeast boundary 

 survey 1840-43 ; Astronomer of the North- 

 west boundary survey 1843-47 ; of the 

 boundary between the United States and 

 Canada 1848-50; of the survey of the 

 boundary between Pennsylvania and Vir- 

 ginia 1849-50; of the boundary survey be- 

 tween Mexico and the United States 1850- 

 51. The names of Bonneville, Talcott, 

 Cram, Emory and other army ofi&cers are 

 familiar in this connection, and their work 

 was generally of a high order. It was in 

 such service that Talcott invented or re- 

 invented the Zenith Telescope, now uni- 

 versally employed for all delicate determi- 

 nations of latitude. The mechanical tact 

 of Americans has served astronomy well. 



The sextant was invented by Thomas God- 

 fray, of Philadelphia, in 1730, a year before 

 Hadley brought forward his proposal for 

 such an instrument.* The chronograph of 

 the Bonds, the Zenith Telescope of Tal- 

 cott and the break-circuit chronometer 

 Winlock are universally used to-day. The 

 diffraction-gratings of Eutherfurd were the 

 best to be had in the world till they were 

 replaced by those of Eowland. The use of 

 a telescope as a collimator was first pro- 

 posed by Rittenhouse. The pioneer op- 

 ticians of the United States were Holcomb 

 (1826), Fitz (1846 or earlier), Clark 

 (1845), Spencer (1851). Only the Clarks 

 have a world-wide reputation. Wiirde- 

 mann, instrument maker to the U. S. Coast 

 Survey (1834) had a decided influence on 

 observers and instrument-makers through- 

 out the United States, as he introduced ex- 

 treme German methods and models among 

 us, where extreme English methods had 

 previously prevailed. The system of rec- 

 tangular laud surveys which proved to be 

 so convenient for the public lands east of 

 the Eocky Mountains was devised and exe- 

 cuted by Mansfield, a graduate of the Mili- 

 tary Academy. 



The list of army of&cers M'ho became 

 distinguished in civil life as professors in 

 the colleges of the country is a very long 

 one. Courtenay (class of 1821 at West 

 Point) was professor of mathematics at the 

 University of Pennsylvania, 1834-36, at the 

 University of Virginia, 1842-43, and was 

 the author of admirable text-books. Nor- 

 ton (class of 1831) became professor at 

 New Haven, and wrote a very useful text- 

 book of astronomy in 1839 ; and the list 



* In 1700 Sir Isaac Newton sent drawings and de- 

 scriptions of a reflecting sextant to Halley for his ad- 

 vice. At Halley's deatb these were found among his 

 papers. Hadley 's device (1731) was undoubtedly 

 derived from Newton's MSS. The Royal Society of 

 London granted £200 to Godfray for his invention 

 which his brother, Captain Godfray, had previously 

 put into practical use in the West Indies. 



