482 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 
piers, were a 2+}; ;-inch transit instrument by Brunner of 
Paris, an aliitade and azimuth instrument by Simms of Lon- 
don, a theodolite of 1% inches aperture by Gregg and Rupp of 
New York, a sidereal clock by Stokel of New York and 
a mean time clock by Riggs of Philadelphia. A sextant with 
mercurial horizon, a barometer and thermometers completed 
the outfit. (See Annual Catalogue for 1857.) 
The Observatory was built and equipped under the direc- 
tion of Wm. W. Hudson, then Professor of Mathematics, 
Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, and afterward (1856- 
1859) President of the University. Professor Hudson was a 
man of high attainments in the exact sciences. In the con- 
struction of the old Observatory building many evidences of 
his excellent judgment and scrupulous care still exist. No 
records of any astronomical work which he may have done 
remain in the Observatory. 
In 1865 Professor Joseph Ficklin was called to the 
chair of Mathematics and Astronomy. Prof. Ficklin filled 
the position with honor to himself and to the University 
until his untimely death, which occurred in September, 
1887. The equipment of the Observatory remained about 
the same until 1878. According to the catalogue of the 
University for that year the sidereal clock by Stokel 
had been replaced by a sidereal clock by Gregg and 
Rupp of New York, and the altitude and azimuth instrument 
by Simms of London had been replaced by another instru- 
ment of the same kind of 2} inches aperture by Blunt of New 
York. It is highly probable, however, that no change of in- 
struments was really made but that the names of the makers 
are incorrectly stated in the earlier University catalogues. 
In the year 1878 a telegraph wire was run to the Observa- 
tory and the longitude approximately determined by compar- 
ing the local time as observed with the transit instrument, 
with time signals sent by telegraph from the Naval 
Observatory at Washington. The latitude, also, was approxi- 
mately determined from observations with the altitude and 
azimuth instrument of the meridian altitudes of the sun and 
certain of the fixed stars. Prof. Ficklin also observed the 
transit of Mercury on May 6th of the same year. The old 
