JANUARY 25, 1884.] 
vin, Wilson, Harris, Sewell; ensigns, Brown,! Allen, 
Taylor, Hoogewerff; professors, Hall, Harkness, East- 
man, Frisby; assistant astronomers, Skinner, Win- 
lock, Paul; clerk, Thomas Harrison; computer, W. 
M. Brown, jun.; computers (transit of Venus), Wood- 
ward, Flint, Wiessner, A. Hall, jun.; instrument- 
maker, W. F. Gardner; also three watchmen and 
nine laborers. 
The report, which is not yet published, contains a 
brief account of the work accomplished with the 
principal instruments of the observatory, —the 26- 
inch and 9.6-inch equatorials, the transit circle, 
prime vertical and meridian transit, —and the prog- 
ress in the chronometer department, the department 
of nautical instruments, the library, and also in the 
reductions of Gilliss’s Zones of 1850, 1851, 1852. 
The 26-inch equatorial. — This instrument has been 
in charge of Prof. A. Hall, with Prof. E. Frisby as 
assistant. Mr. George Anderson is employed as an 
assistant in the dome. The canvas covering for the 
opening of the dome is still used, and achange in the 
raising and lowering of this covering has been made 
in order to avoid the friction of the wire ropes. Thus 
far the new arrangement has worked well. This 
equatorial has been employed, as in preceding years, 
for the observation of double stars, satellites, and 
comets. The satellites of Saturn, Uranus, and Nep- 
tune have been observed; and we have now collected 
a large number of observations of these satellites. 
The ring of Saturn has been observed, but no remark- 
able changes have been noticed. In fact, many of 
the strange phenomena frequently described in con- 
nection with this unique ring, the observers here fail 
to see on the best nights. During the greatest open- 
ing of the ring, which is near at hand, it is intended 
to make a set of micrometric measures of the dimen- 
sions of the ring. Some observations for stellar par- 
allax have been undertaken; but, as the observer 
resides at some distance from the observatory, such 
work is very laborious, and it seems better to defer 
it until more convenient arrangements are made. At 
the present time the pressing need on this instru- 
ment is, that the observations of satellites already 
‘made should be discussed for the purpose of correct- 
ing the orbits of these satellites, and of determining 
the masses of the planets. This discussion has been 
begun, and the numerical calculations are being made 
by Ensigns W. H. Allen and J. A. Hoogewerff. 
The transit circle. — This instrument, in charge of 
Prof. J. R. Eastman, was employed in the same class 
of work as in 1881-82. The observers were Professor 
Eastman, and Assistant astronomers A. N. Skinner, 
Miles Rock,? and W. C. Winlock. Professor Eastman 
was absent, in charge of a transit of Venus party at 
Cedar Keyes, Florida, from Nov. 1, 1882, to Jan. 1, 
1883. Assistant astronomer Miles Rock, who was de- 
tached in September, 1882, for duty with the transit of 
Venus party at Santiago, Chile, was away until Feb. 
10, 1884. The whole number of observations made 
with the transit circle from Oct. 18, 1882, to Oct. 18, 
1883, is 3,880. 
1 Appointed professor of mathematics, U.S.N., Oct. 13, 1883. 
2 Succeeded, Nov. 1, 1883, by Prof. H. M. Paul. 
SCIENCE. 
109 
The meteorological observations have been con- 
tinued, as in former years, by the watchmen. 
The 9.6-inch equatorial. — This instrument has been 
in charge of Commander W. T. Sampson, assisted 
part of the time by Lieut. W. E. Sewell, and part of 
the time by Lieut. John Garvin. It has been used, 
as in former years, in observations of the phenomena 
of Jupiter’s satellites, occultations by the moon, places 
of comets, and for obtaining corrections to the ephem- 
eris places of minor planets. 
Prime vertical instrument. — This instrument is in 
charge of Lieut. C. G. Bowman, assisted by Ensign 
H. Taylor. Observations with it were recommenced 
Nov. 14, 1882. Continuous observations have been 
restricted to about forty stars, in no case exceeding 
2° zenith distance when on the meridian; and these, 
with one exception, have been closely confined to the 
time of the two maxima of aberration. The one ex- 
ception referred to was in the case of a Lyrae, which 
has been regularly observed throughout the twenty- 
four hours, having in view the possibility of a deter- 
mination of its absolute parallax. Up to this time 
about five hundred and eighty observations have been 
secured. In the reductions, Struve’s formulae have 
been used; and the labor has been greatly lessened 
by the use of his auxiliary tables for the prime ver- 
tical transit. 
Meridian transit instrument. — This instrument has 
been in charge of Lieut. U. R. Harris, and Lieut. E. 
C. Pendleton has assisted. Since July 10, Lieuts. 
Pendleton and Harris have alternated in determining 
the correction of the standard mean-time clock. The 
meridian transit instrument has been used for the 
observations of stars of the American ephemeris for 
clock and azimuth corrections, and the determinations 
of the right ascensions of the sun, moon, and major 
planets. The total number of observations of the 
character mentioned is fourteen hundred and eight. 
Observations have been taken as often as practicable, 
to obtain each day the correction of the standard 
mean-time clock for setting to correct time the trans- 
mitting clock, which is used in sending out the time- 
signals from the chronometer-room, and in rating the 
chronometers. 
. National museum. 
Publications. — Volume 5 of the ‘Proceedings of 
the National museum’ has just been issued from the 
Government printing-office. It contains 703 pages, 
and includes 87 articles by 84 authors, grouped topi- 
cally as follows: mammals, 4; birds, 21; reptiles, 2; 
fishes, 48; mollusks, 3; crustaceans, 1; insects, etc., 2; 
plants, fossil and recent, 4; minerals and rocks, 2; art 
and industry, 1. 
Catlin Indian paintings. —The Catlin collection of 
Indian paintings recently given to the museum by 
Mrs. Joseph Harrison of Philadelphia, is now being 
prepared for exhibition. This collection consists of 
over six hundred paintings, chiefly portraits and de- 
lineations of ceremonies, games, and hunting-scenes, 
made by the artist during eight years’ residence in 
the western territories, Mexico, and British North 
America, previous to 1840. It contains authenticated 
