vi Report of Observatory Committee. 



following extract from the Regulations of the Eoyal Observatory at 

 Greenwich, published as an appendix to the observations of 1852 : 



" A Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory is appointed by 



' warrant under the Royal Sign Manual. The constitution of this 



board has once been changed ; at present it is as follows : — The 



President of the Royal Society, and all who have held that office, 

 ' the President of the Royal Astronomical Society (not being Astro- 

 ' nomer Royal), and all who have held that office, the Savilian 

 ' Professor of Astronomy at Oxford for the time being, and the 

 ' Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at 

 ' Cambridge for the time being are, ex officio, visitors. Five Fellows 

 ' of the Royal Society, and Five Fellows of the Royal Astronomical 

 ' Society, were appointed by name in the warrant, and on the occur- 

 '■' rence of a vacancy a successor is appointed from the society, from 

 * which the last member had been selected, by the President of that 

 •' society for the time being. The number of members of the board 

 " at this time is sixteen. 



" The Board of Visitors is authorised to direct the Astronomer 

 ' Royal to make such observations as the board shall think proper ; 

 '■' to inspect the instruments, and communicate with the Lords of the 

 '' Admiralty upon the arrangements for mamtaining them in efficient 

 ' order ; to make any suggestions to the Lords of the Admiralty 

 : ' touching the observatory ; to require from the Astronomer Royal 

 •' every three months a copy of the observations made, with a view 

 '' to the printing of them ; and to meet at the observatory on a cer- 

 1 tain day in every year, and to meet at such other times as may 

 '' seem expedient to the Lords of the Admiralty." 



Under this control the Greenwich Observatory has been unsur- 

 passed by any in the world for the efficiency with which it has 

 carried on its work. 



In asking you to place upon the estimates a sufficient sum to carry 

 out this work we may add that inasmuch as the construction of the 

 instruments would occupy a considerable time, probably two years, 

 the whole of the money would not have to be disbursed at once, but 

 merely sufficient to justify the people in England to whom it was 

 entrusted to proceed with the work. 



