SCIENCE. 



servations fills 74 quarto pages. Certain special pub- 

 lications deserve particular mention. A catalogue of 

 10.658 stars, observed with the instruments 1, 2, 3, and 

 4, has been made by Professor Yarnall. It may- 

 be said to have been his life work, as he made a large 

 share of the observations and reduced all of them. 

 This catalogue is of great usefulness. 



The Wind and Current Charts of Maury, which 

 have been adopted the whole world over, were con- 

 structed from observations collected and discussed here. 

 With the equatorial, three asteroids were discovered by 

 Professor Ferguson, and Professor Hall and himself 

 observed a great number of comets and minor planets. 

 The theoretical researches of Professor Walker on 

 Neptune, of Professor Hubbard on comets, and the 

 work of Professors Coffin and Hubbard on points 

 of practical astronomy, all belong to this first epoch. 



The second stage of the Observatory's life may be 

 said to have begun in 1861, with the superintendence 

 of Gilliss, and to have extended to the present time 

 under the direction of Rear Admirals Davis, Sands 

 and Rodgers. Two new first-class instruments were 

 purchased. 



6. The Transit Circle (1865), made by Pistor & 

 Martins. 



7. The 26-inch Equatorial (1873) made by Alvan 

 Clark & Sons. Both have been kept in constant use. 

 With the first, the sun, moon, major and minor planets 

 have been constantly observed and the materials 

 for a very large and important catalogue of stars 

 (soon to be published) have been collected. The 

 telegraphic longitudes of many points in the United 

 States and elsewhere, have been determined by 

 Professors Harkness and Eastman. We may 

 mention among these the longitudes of Havana 

 (Cuba), St. Louis, Detroit, Carlin and Austin (Nevada), 

 Ogden (Utah), Bethlehem (Pa.), Princeton (N. J.), 

 Cincinnati, Nashville, Columbus, Harrisburg, and 

 others. The large equatorial, besides making a great 

 number of observations of double stars (Hall and 

 Newcomb), and of Nebulae (Holden), has been em- 

 ployed on the observations of the faint satellites for 

 u!im h it is better fitted than any other instrument ex- 

 isting. The masses of Uranus and Neptune have 

 been determined by Professor NEWCOMB and the capi- 

 tal discovery of two satellites to Mars made by Pro- 

 fessor Hall. 



The theoretical researches of Professor NEWCOMB 

 on the Lunar Theory and on Fundamental Stars, 

 .Mid of Professors Newcomb and Hall on Satellites, 



belong to this period. 



The Transits of Venus (1874), and of Mercury 



(1878), have been most thoroughly observed and dis- 

 I by the various astronon 



The solar eclipses of 1869, 1870, 1878 and 1880 

 have been also elaborately observed by parties sent 

 from the observatory, and the results are all published 

 except those for 1878 and 1880, which will shortly 

 appear. The work done here on solar eclipses 

 alone is of the first importance, and will greatly 

 forward our knowledge of solar physics. There is 

 no space to mention the miscellaneous work done : 

 the chronometers of the Navy, the furnishing of stan- 

 dard time to the United States, the observations of 

 meteors, all receive their share of attention. 



The third epoch of the history of the Observatory 

 commences with the effort to change its site to one 

 less exposed to the sickly influences of the malaria 

 which rises from the marshes surrounding the Obser- 

 vatory on the river side, and to one where the fogs 

 from the same source will not seriously interfere with 

 the complete use of the instruments. This subject 

 has, since 1870, received more or less attention, but 

 the first serious effort to change the site for these 

 reasons was made in a report of the Superintendent 

 in 1877. 



"United States Naval Observatory, 



Washington, September 15, 1877. 



" Sir : I found upon taking charge of the Observatory, 

 that the malarious influences surrounding it were notori- 

 ous, and that from May to about the middle of October the 

 officers whose services were necessarily in the Observatory 

 at night, paid the penalty in impaired health and in dimin- 

 ished efficiency. The fogs which arise from the river, 

 driven by the prevailing winds, float above the instruments 

 and lessen their usefulness. 



****** 



For these reasons, I earnestly recommend that a suitable 

 site, north of the city and inside the District of Columbia, 

 be procured for a new Observatory. 



The area allotted to this purpose need not necessarily be 

 more than twenty-five or thirty acres in extent ; but as 

 much as this is needed, since, if surrounded by dwellings 

 or factories, the smoke would obscure the clearness of 

 vision, the traffic would shake the instruments, and some 

 high structure, if placed upon the meridian near our in- 

 struments, might hide a useful part of the heavens. 



The present Observatory is in a very dilapidated condi- 

 tion. 



****** 



I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 



Your Obedient Servant. 



JOHN RODGERS, 

 Rear-Admiral Superintendent. 



Hon. R. W. Thompson, 



Secretary of t lie A T avy, Washington. 



The accompanying papers show that the death of 

 two superintendents, Captain Gilliss and Admiral 

 Davis, was either caused or accelerated by malarial 

 fever, and that the death of Professors Ferguson, 

 SPRINGER and HUBBARD, could be traced directly to 

 this cause. The prevalent fogs are shown to interfere 

 with observations. 



In short, this report brought prominently forward a 

 fad which had always been patent, viz. : that it was 

 almost a < nine and certainly an extremely poor use of 



