EEPORT, &c. 



To General Sir T. MAKDOUGALL BRISBANE, Bart., 



PEES. EOT. SOC. EDIIJ'. 



Sir, — I have several times brought under your notice the state of the Maker- 

 sfcoun Observatory, and of the Observations made in it, but generally with refer- 

 ence to some special object connected with the prosecution of the work itself; it 

 seems desirable now, when the Observations have been reduced and printed, that 

 I should report to you in a more complete way, in order to embody in the report 

 some notice of the imperfections of the instruments and processes usually em- 

 ployed, and some suggestions for their improvement, the results of my experience 

 in the management of your Observatory. 



History. — The proposal made by Humboldt for obtaining an extensive 

 series of corresponding observations in terrestrial magnetism, and generally in 

 the physics of the globe, was readily prosecuted in different countries, but espe- 

 cially in the Russian and in the British Empires. In the latter, many observa- 

 tories were founded,— by the British Government in the Colonies, and by the East 

 India Company in the large territory under its swa}^ At home, our Government 

 also founded an Observatory at Greenwich, under the powerful direction of the 

 Astronomer Royal ; in Dublin, another observatory was established at the ex- 

 pense of Trinity College, which was placed under the skilful hands of Dr Lloyd, — 

 an observatory which was the Normal School for the Directors of the Colonial Ob- 

 servatories. Scotland alone, of the three kingdoms, seemed destined to remain 

 without any share in this great scientific undertaking ; a matter of double regret 

 to the lovers of science in it, since an observatory in this country was even of 

 more importance to the enterprise than in the more southern localities. What the 

 British Government performed at Greenwich, and the rich institution of Trinity 

 College did at Dublin, was undertaken by yourself in Roxburghshire. 



The building of the observatory at your seat at Makerstoun was commenced 

 early in 1841, but no observations were made till July of that year. The system 

 adopted was limited, in the first instance, to a few daily observations, together 

 with a participation in the complete series on Term-days. The observer, Mr 

 Russell, had also the charge of a transit instrument and of several clocks. In 



