XV 111 



finally published by Stone in 1878, in the form of the ' Cape Cata- 

 logue of 2892 stars reduced to the equinox 1840.' 



But Stone did not allow these labours to interfere with his main 

 object. "Within a month of his arrival at the Cape a working list 

 of stars witliin 5 C of the South Pole had been prepared, and obser- 

 vations with the transit circle were commenced. The work was pro- 

 secuted with systematic vigour notwithstanding the loss of two 

 assistants — Mr. Sinfield, who died in September, 1871, and Mr. Mann, 

 his chief assistant, who, after a year's illness, died in April, 1873. 

 Although there was considerable delay in replacing these valued 

 assistants, Stone was able to publish in 1876 the annual results of 

 the Cape observations for 1871, 1872, and 1873, containing accurate 

 places of all Lacaille's stars within 15° of the South Pole, and of 

 nearly all the stars to^ the 7th magnitude within the same zone. 

 At the same time he was able to announce that the similar stars 

 within 35° of the South Pole had already, in December, 1875, been 

 observed, and arrangements made for the observation of the next 

 zone, 135° to 145° N.P.D., in the year 1876; that in the year 1877 

 the work, if persevered with, should overlap that of some of the 

 northern observatories, and with the zone 115° to 125° N.P.D., it 

 might perhaps be brought to a close in 1878. This programme was 

 fulfilled to the letter, and the observations of the zones were com- 

 pleted in the end of 1878. 



Meanwhile a large stereographic projection of the southern hemi- 

 sphere had been prepared, and upon it were projected the places of 

 all the stars which had already been observed, and wherever lacunce 

 appeared within the limits of N.P.D. 115° to 180°, efforts were made 

 during the first four months of 1879 to fill them up by observ- 

 ing stars of rather a lower magnitude than the 7th of Lacaille's 

 scale. During the same period also such control observations as 

 seemed necessary were taken, and the whole work of observation 

 was completed. 



The reductions had been rigorously kept up to date, and before the 

 end of May, 1879, the whole of the star places had been reduced to 

 the equinox of 1880, the means taken and the precessions and secular 

 variations computed. 



The Rev. Robert Main, Radcliffe Observer at Oxford, died on the 

 9th of May, 1878. Stone, having nearly fulfilled the object for 

 which he came to the Cape, became a candidate for the post, and 

 was soon afterwards elected to it. The Radcliffe Trustees yielded 

 to the request that Stone might be allowed a year to complete his 

 work at the Cape, and the Rev. Charles Pritchard, then Savilian 

 Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, was appointed interim director. 

 On the 27th May, 1879, Stone sailed from the Cape, taking with him 

 all the documents necessary for the preparation of his great southern 

 catalogue for press. 



