Substitutes for an Observatory. 445 



also about fifteen inches long. The narrow end of this sleeve 

 has a band of " elastic " fastened round it ; through this the 

 object end of the telescope is passed. Thus a considerable 

 range on every side is obtained, limited only by the size of the 

 central aperture, which, of course, may be still larger. The 

 observer is thus completely shielded from all draughts, and the 

 vision is not so much affected as is usual by the difference in 

 the temperature of the internal and external air. A piece of 

 plate glass fixed in a frame on the tube of the telescope in the 

 line of the finder, around which also the cloth can be brought, 

 enables the observer to direct his instrument. Instead of the 

 plate glass, an aperture may be made in the cloth in such a 

 manner as to allow of its being closed when not in use. As 

 I have adopted this plan with a 5th refractor the object end 

 has always been fairly out of the window and the eye-piece 

 well in. I hope the contrivance may save some of your readers 

 from coughs and colds during their winter observations. I 

 may also perhaps mention, that about thirty years since I 

 employed similar means in lieu of a ball and socket, or rather 

 sciop tic ball, for the purpose of sketching the solar spots. Over 

 a hole in a shutter I loosely fixed a square of leather, in its 

 centre an aperture was made, and the object end of a small 

 telescope fastened in it ; the looseness of the leather allowed 

 me to turn the telescope in any direction, and a screen fixed 

 at a proper inclination in the room received the paper for the 

 sketch. The back of a swing looking-glass forms a rest for 

 the paper, which can readily be placed at any inclination : a 

 plan somewhat similar to the above was described in your 

 journal of 1862, by the Hon. Mrs. Ward. 



Again, to ascertain the correct time is not, generally speak- 

 ing, an easy matter, and more particularly when one is from 

 home, and consequently without the requisite instruments. 

 By the following simple means, I have arrived at very fair 

 results : — I presume that the traveller will have with him a 

 pocket telescope, and also a telescope clip ; he will require in 

 addition a small square piece of board with three levelling 

 screws, a pocket spirit-level, and a parlour candlestick ! the 

 bottom of which must be made true by grinding on a flat 

 surface (a door step for instance). If the traveller have a 

 portable telescope-stand, of course he will not need to borrow 

 the candlestick ! Now having fixed cross hairs on the 

 diaphragm of the telescope with wax, or otherwise, place it in 

 the clip and screw the clip into a piece of wood in the 

 candlestick ; level the board accurately , place on it the candle- 

 stick and telescope, and adjust for observing the contact of 

 the sun's upper and lower limbs with the cross hairs in the 

 morning, leave all untouched till the afternoon, carefully then 



