FEBRUARY 1, 1884.] 
limestone, containing a typical Potsdam fauna, over- 
lies the Potsdam sandstone of the New-York geolo- 
gists in Saratoga county, N.Y. This limestone rests 
above the sandstone of Keesville, Whitehall, and 
Corrinth, and is shown to be the true representative 
of the Potsdam sandstone of Wisconsin, as it con- 
tains Lingula accuminata, Platyceras minutissima, 
Metoptoma cornutiforme, Crepicephalus sp.?., Lon- 
chocephalus calciferous, Dicellocephalus Harti, and 
Ptychaspis speciosus, — species all closely allied to 
those from Wisconsin. This limestone was referred 
to the calciferous formation originally; the great 
Stromatopora-like bodies of Hoyt’s quarry, four miles 
west of Saratoga, occurring in it. 
The contained fauna was partially described by 
Mr. Walcott in the thirty-second annual report of 
the New-York state museum of natural history, and 
referred to the calciferous formation. 
The U. 8. naval observatory. 
Chronometers. — This department of the observa- 
tory is in charge of Lieut. E. K. Moore, assisted by 
Lieuts. E.C. Pendleton and U. R. Harris. There are 
at present in the chronometer-room 233 chronometers, 
of which 22 are ready for issue; 21 are on trial; 71 
require repairs, and will be repaired as wanted for 
issue; and 119 are condemned to be used only as 
‘hacks.’ A temperature-room has been constructed 
for the more perfect testing of chronometers, and the 
observatory is now prepared to test them at any tem- 
perature to which they will be subjected in their 
practical uses. A proposition was made to the chro- 
nometer-makers, each to place four chronometers at 
the observatory for a competitive trial, beginning 
Jan. 1, 1884, the bureau of navigation to purchase 
the four passing the best trials. This has been ac- 
cepted by William Bond & Son, Boston, T.S. & J. D. 
Negus, John Bliss & Co., and D. Eggert’s Sons, of 
New York. By this method of purchasing, the best 
American made chronometers will be obtained. 
Transmission of time-signals. —This work is in 
charge of the officers having the care of the chro- 
nometers. The time continues to be sent over the 
wires of the Western union telegraph company, and 
time-balls to be dropped at New York and Washing- 
ton, as stated in last report. This work is all done 
automatically by direct connection with the observa- 
tory clock. The fire-alarm bells continue to be struck, 
and the time to be given to the horological establish- 
ments of the city at six A.M., twelve M., and six P.M. 
Nautical instruments. —This work is in charge of 
Lieut. W. E. Sewell. 121 sextants and octants have 
been received at the observatory for examination. 
46 of this number have been found in good order. 
There are remaining on hand at the observatory 77 
instruments, 10 of which may be made serviceable 
by repairs: the remainder have serious defects, which 
will render most of them worthless. The principal 
of these defects are bent arcs or bent pivots. An- 
other very common defect is want of parallelism in 
the glasses. Few of the makers seem to have exer- 
cised much care in this respect. The sextants and 
octants made by Stackpole & Brother of New York are 
SCIENCE. 
137 
superior to all others. The shades of 5 artificial ho- 
rizons have been tested for parallelism of the glasses: 
and 3 were found defective, changing the direction 
of the rays from 1’ to 27.5. Two standard thermom- 
eters, made for the observatory by J. & H. J. Green 
of New York, have been tested for their freezing and 
boiling points, and their tubes calibrated. At no point 
was the error found to be greater than a fifteenth of a 
degree. Tables of corrections for 45 clinical thermom- 
eters have been made for the marine hospital service. 
The library. — The library now contains nearly 
twelve thousand volumes. The accessions for the 
year aggregate sixteen hundred and two volumes, 
besides a large number of pamphlets. The annual 
volume of astronomical and meteorological observa- 
tions for 1879 has been recently received from the 
public printer, and the copies are now being sent out. 
The demand for the volumes is very great, there be- 
ing six hundred addresses on the regular list. The 
manuscript, consisting of eight hundred and seventy- 
five pages, for a complete catalogue of the books and 
pamphlets in the library, July 1, 1883, alphabetically 
arranged by authors and subjects, is now ready for 
printing. 
Publications. — The printing of the volume for 
1880 is nearly finished, while the manuscript for the 
volume for 1881 is nearly ready for the printer. The 
printing of the annual volume is falling behind from 
year to year; and, with the apparently necessary ex- 
penditure of the printing-fund at the disposal of the 
navy department, this seems inevitable. The depart- 
ment fund is ususally exhausted by the last of April, 
and then two months’ time is lost. Ii there were a 
fund at the sole disposal of the observatory, this 
difficulty could be overcome. The superintendent 
therefore urges that Congress be asked to appro- 
priate seven thousand dollars annually for printing 
the observatory volumes, until the back work can be 
brought up as near as practicable to date. 
U. 8. astronomical expedition to Chile. — Professor 
William Harkness, assisted by Mr. Emil Wiessner, has 
made progress in reducing the zone observations made 
in Chile during the years 1850, 1851, 1852, by the ex- 
pedition under the late Capt. J. M. Gilliss, U.S.N. 
The total number of stars is about seventeen thou- 
sand. On June 30, 1883, the appropriation from 
which Mr. Wiessner was paid became exhausted, and 
the work ceased. About a thousand dollars are 
needed to finish the preparation of the star catalogue 
from these zones, and it is hoped that Congress will 
grant that sum at the next session. 
Increased estimates have been submitted for the 
coming year. The reasons for such increase are ex- 
plained in each case in the letter accompanying the 
estimates. Experience suggests that the efficiency of 
the observatory should be increased by the appoint- 
ment of a board of visitors, to consist of a limited 
number of distinguished astronomers, whose duty it 
would be annually to examine into the working of the 
observatory, and report to the secretary of the navy. 
They should have power to advise with the superin- 
tendent as to the character of the work to be done at 
the observatory. 
