PROCEEDINGS OF THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 179 



legal profession, and he became Chief Engineer in the con- 

 struction of the Little Miami Railroad. In 1836 he "found his 

 pace" as professor of astronomy, mathematics and natural phil- 

 osophy in the College of Cincinnati; an institution long ago 

 extinct. During the discharge of his duties as professor of 

 astronomy, Mitchell conceived the idea of having an astronomical 

 observatory in Cincinnati. At that time there was no observa- 

 tory really worthy of the name in America ; no telescope of 

 more than a few inches aperture and practically no interest in 

 the science of astronomy among the people generally. Mitchell 

 possessed a rare power of exposition. His lectures were charm- 

 ing in style, excellent in matter and clear in presentation. In 

 the spring of 1842 he gave in the College hall a series of six 

 lectures on astronomy of such rapidly increasing popularity that 

 the last of the series was given in one of the great churches of 

 the city before more than two thousand enthusiastic listeners. 

 At the end of this lecture he presented his project for the build- 

 ing of a great Observatory, with an appeal for voluntary con- 

 tributions from the people of Cincinnati. A fund for the pur- 

 pose was to be raised by the issue of ''shares" of twenty-five 

 dollars each. Three hundred shares were soon subscribed for 

 and Mitchell went to Europe to visit astronomical observatories 

 and to arrange for the purchase or construction of an equitorial 

 telescope. Under the inspiration of this visit his ideas ex- 

 panded wonderfully and he did not return until he had ten- 

 tatively contracted for a, twelve inch glass, the cost of which 

 was nearly double the amount previously estimated as suffi- 

 cient to cover both instrument and building. 



Returning to America he found the country suffering from 

 an industrial and financial depression which made it extremely 

 difficult for him to obtain the necessary additional pledges of 

 money to warrant the purchase of this great glass, then one of 

 the largest in existence. Having secured, after a great effort, 

 ■enough to make the first payment the definite order was sent and 

 a suitable location for a building was donated by Nicholas Long- 

 worth. On the ninth of November, 1843, ^^^ corner stone of 

 the building was laid by the venerable John Quincy Adams, 



