AN OBSERVATORY FOR NEW ZEALAND. 249 
had been ascertained to be periodic, it was therefore of great 
importance that good observations of it should be secured, and 
the comet was not visible in Europe. The Melbourne observa- 
tory was founded in 1853, but it was not till some years later 
that the buildings at present in use were erected and the obser- 
vatory put into a thoroughly efficient state. Still it speaks well 
for the people of Victoria that, at a time when the gold fever 
was at its height, such an institution was thought of. It is 
worthy of remark that about the same time the Melbourne Uni- 
versity and the Public Library were founded. Excellent work 
has on several occasions been done at the Melbourne Observa- 
tory : notably, it was the observations there made on Mars, at 
his near approach to the earth in 1862, used in conjunction with 
those made at Greenwich, that gave the best determination which 
up to that time had been arrived at of the sun’s distance from 
the earth.. These points-in connection with these southern 
colonial observatories have been mentioned to show that they 
were established on a good footing in the early days of the 
colonies to which they belong, and that they have on important 
occasions been able to do work which could not have been fore- 
gone without very serious loss. 
Some few years ago an attempt was made in Canterbury to 
found an observatory, and about 4250 was collected by private 
subscription towards the purchase of instruments. Nothing 
further was done in the matter because Sir George Airy, the 
then Astronomer - Royal, who had been written to on the 
subject, threw cold water on the scheme, and:seemed to think 
that observatories other than the splendid institution over which 
he presided were not necessary. But it is abundantly evident 
that in his opinion he is altogether singular; the great multi- 
plication oi observatories in the northern hemisphere conclusively 
proves that. If they are necessary for the one hemisphere, they 
are equally so for the other; indeed it may be said that their 
increase in the south is indispensable to the due progress of 
astronomy. In the list of observatories published in the Nau- 
tical Almanac, out of a total of ninety-five, there are only eight 
in southern latitudes. And that observations in the neighbour- 
hood of New Zealand are often absolutely essential, is evident 
from the fact that England and other nations have so frequently 
been compelled to send parties of observers here. At the transit 
of Venus in December, 1874, several such parties visited us, and 
when a similar event happens again at the end of this year we 
shall again have our scientific work done for us. A few 
years ago when search was being made for the supposed intra- 
Mercurial planet Vulcan, Sir George Airy, though he had done 
his best to prevent the establishment of an observatory at Christ- 
church, did not omit to telegraph here asking that a watch for 
the transit of the planet might be kept. Had it not been for the 
existence of a sufficiently good instrument in private hands his 
request could not have been complied with. In Victoria and 
