48 Progress of European Science. (Jan. 
VITI.—Progress of European Science. 
PRACTICAL ASTRONOMY. 
Under tiis head may be comprehended all proceedings intended to bring us 
better acquainted with the phenomena of the heavenly bodies through the medium 
of observation and experiment :—the labours of astronomers in their observatories ; 
the construction of new instruments; of new tables to facilitate calculations ; of 
new maps of the heavens, &c. to which may be added pendulum experiments and 
the various geodetical operations on a grand scale, destined to the determination 
of the earth’s figure. Of the latter branch of our subject, we have on a former oc- 
casion taken a cursory review, adverting to the survey now in progress in our own 
neighbourhood. In our last number also we anticipated the present notice by in- 
serting an abstract of the contents of the new Nautical Almanac, which itself marks 
the progress of astronomical science, by the new wants that it is found necessary 
to supply to the practical astronomer to save the waste of his time in intricate cal- 
culations. We will now advert to the increased means set at work inthe world for 
the pursuit of this noble and heart expanding-study, taking as our guide the annual 
reports of the president of the Astronomical Society : for in the present day, thanks 
to the systematic division of the sciences among their proper societies, informa- 
tion on each separate branch can be obtained at once without spending much time 
in searching through scattered notices in journals of general science. 
Mr. Sours, in his address on the anniversary of February, 1830, congratulated 
the Society on the prosperous appearance of the astronomical horizon. He attri- 
buted with justice to the influence of the institution over which he presided, a part 
of the unusual activity prevalent, as well abroad as at home, in prosecuting obser- 
yations, and in perfecting the theories and tables of celestial phenomena. 
He noticed the establishment of no less than two new observatories endowed by 
the British Government: one at the Cape of Good Hope, under the Rey. Mr. Fat- 
tows; the other, the Paramatta Observatory, originally founded by Sir Taomas 
BrisBane in New South Wales, now converted into a permanent public institu- 
tion. The East India Company had been equally active : they had remodelled their 
observatory at Madras, furnishing it with new instruments and appointing tothe charge 
of them Mr. Taytor, an experienced astronomer from the Greenwich Observa- 
tory. An attempt had before been made to found an observatory at Bombay, which 
had failed through the bad management of the astronomer nominated there. At 
the anniversary of last February, the same illustrious president noticed the founda- 
tion of another observatory by the Company, in the Islandof St. Helena, under the 
charge of Mr. Jounson : and pari passu, the British Government had presented a 
35 feet transit, by Troughton, and other valuable instruments, to the private ob- 
servatoryofM. Dasaniz, on the Island of Mauritius, whither also a number of ex- 
cellent instruments had been carried by Captain Luoyp, Surveyor General to the 
colony. Monsieur DaBapie’s observations on the Comet of 1830 have brought 
this well-merited reward, not to himself alone, but generally to the zealous exer- 
tions of this scientific little island, which can boast of more than its due proportion 
of naturalists and literary men. Astronomy is well adapted to be the study of an 
insulated quiet seat of contemplation like this isle, or St. Helena, and some ques- 
tions of great practical importance, such as that of the refraction on the oceanic 
horizon, might here be more successfully investigated than any where else. 
