372 PROFESSOR C. PIAZZI SMYTH ON THE 



for, in 1851, the equatorial mounting, in its chief parts, was exhibited by Mr 

 Andrew Ross, the optician employed, as his so-called " trophy" in the eastern 

 half of the Nave of the Great Exhibition building of that year, with the effect 

 of gaining for him one of the highest medals awarded. But after that event, 

 lamentable delays took place in finishing the instrument ; and before they were 

 all concluded, Mr Grant's health, too long tried by an Indian climate, unhappily 

 broke down altogether. Hence it eventually occurred, that this fine instrument, — 

 with the assistance of which, as the character of the Mork he had already exe- 

 cuted in India with a smaller telescope sufficiently demonstrates, its owner 

 would soon have risen to the first rank of acknowledged double-star observers 

 in this country, — remained nearly unused until my going to Elchies in September 

 1862. 



I had only intended on that occasion to pay a passing visit, as one of respect 

 to the founder of the largest astronomical equatorial in Scotland ; but Mr Grant's 

 hospitable notions, and his ideas of the importance of anj^thing at all promising 

 to be useful in practical astronomy, prevented my quitting his mansion until 

 three weeks of observation had been secured, or something more than a mere 

 amateur idea of what the telescope was capable of doing ; and as he gave up the 

 Observatory to me for the time entirely, and as I worked these alone, I can 

 answer, and indeed am answerable, for Avhatever was done in it during that 

 period, especially for any errors or shortcomings of my own. 



A. — 2. Present Condition. . 



The patrimonial estate of Elchies lies on the banks of the Spey, about 8 miles 

 below the junction of that river and the Avon, in Lat. N. 57^ 28', and Long. 

 W. 3° 15' nearly. The house, which is on a considerably elevated plateau, stands, 

 together with the observatory a few yards from its south-eastern corner, on a 

 broad lawn surrounded by well-grown trees. There is an ornamental portico to 

 the observatory, decorated, not at all inappropriately, Avith Egyptian emblems, 

 carved in native stone, and also a small transit room ; but the chief bulk of the 

 whole structure consists of the large circular equatorial room, about 25 feet in 

 diameter, and furnished with a metal-covered conical dome. 



This dome has attached to it wheels of one foot in diameter ; and, for motion, 

 is revolved on them, while they roll on a fixed circular rail attached to the wall ; 

 impulse being communicated by means of toothed gearing and a hand-crank, 

 which acts sufiiciently easily. The shutters of the dome, four in number and 

 arranged in two pairs, an upper and a lower one, open to the sky right and left. 

 This they do by sliding on and off the opening of the dome in a peculiar, and as 

 far as I know, a novel manner, with a sort of parallel motion movement in their 

 own plane ; each shutter being carried by two pivots, formed in the ends of two 

 strong iron arms, which again work on their own fixed centres on the dome, and 



