xxii 



observing, except of the sun and moon and occasional stars, seems 

 to have been suspended during the completion of the ' Radcliffe 

 Catalogue ' for 1890. This catalogue contains places (based gene- 

 rally on a minimum of three observations of each star, and many more 

 of clock-stars and others) of all stars to the 7th magnitude between 

 iST.P.D. 115° and the equator; and, wherever gaps occur in 

 the distribution of 7th magnitude stars, such gaps have been filled 

 up by the observations of stars of a fainter order of magnitude. 

 The sun and moon were also regularly observed on the meridian, and 

 a considerable number of occultations, comets and double stars were 

 observed with the extra-meridian instruments. 



In 1886 an excellent equatorial by T. Cooke and Sons, with an 

 object glass of 10 inches aperture, was presented to the Radcliffe 

 Observatory by Mr. J. Gurney Barclay, and with the aid of this fine 

 instrument the value of the extra-meridian work was greatly 

 enhanced. 



In 1888 Stone co-operated with Tale, Leipzig, and the Cape in the 

 heliometer observations of the minor planet Iris for solar parallax, 

 and his staff contributed meridian observations of the planet and 

 comparison stars. In 1889 meridian observations of Victoria and 

 Sappho and of their comparison stars were also made under Stone's 

 direction in connexion with the solar parallax campaign of that 

 year. 



In addition to all this astronomical work meteorological observa- 

 tions were systematically recorded, reduced and published. Stone 

 then planned the observation of similar meridian observations of all 

 stars to the 7th. magnitude in successive zones northwards from the 

 equator, and the work was actually begun before his death. 



Stone's reductions of Hornsby's observations of 7 Draconis made 

 at the Radcliffe Observatory 1788-91 have been published in the 

 ' Monthly Notices ' for June, 1895, and show of what admirable 

 quality these zenith sector observations are. Hornsby's observations, 

 made with two brass quadrants of 8 feet radius and a transit instru- 

 ment of 4 inches aperture, next attracted Stone's attention, and 

 before his death he had made considerable progress in reduction of 

 the observations of 1774. Stone considers that these observations, 

 extending as they do for a number of years subsequent to 1774, 

 promise results of very considerable value. By thus bringing them 

 to light and proving their excellence, Stone has opened for his 

 successor a mine of scientific wealth which will certainly not be 

 neglected. 



In 1896, Stone was a member of the party which accompanied 

 Sir Greorge Baden-Powell in his yacht to Nova Zembla, and was 

 thus one of the few astronomers who were favoured with fine 

 weather for observing the total eclipse of the sun of that year. 



