164 



Notices of Books. 



[July 



0.-— Result of Astronomical Observations made at the Honourable the East 

 India Company's Observatory at Madras. — By Thomas Glanvill3 

 Taylor, Esq., Astronomer to the Honourable Company. Voh 3, for 

 the Years 1834 and 1333. Printed by order of the Madras Govern- 

 ■ment. Madras : 1836, p.p. 232, quarto. 



Only twelve months have elapsed since Mr. Taylor's last volume 

 made its appearance, and a third is now issuing from the press, in 

 which are reduced two years observations, which cannot but reflect the 

 highest credit on the ardent zeal and untiring assiduity of the Madras 

 Astronomer ; and, we are quite confident, that <s these observations 

 and results (which have been obtained only by continued hard labour, 

 and after much anxiety) will, from their extent as well as accuracy, 

 prove acceptable to Astronomers, and creditable to the Honourable 

 Company's Observatory."* 



This is the modest meed of applause which the author claims for 

 himself, and we expect to see it most amply and cordially awarded by 

 scientific men. 



The principal observations, consisting of from 20 to 30,000, are, as 

 usual, on the Sun, Moon, and Planets and fixed stars, and their effect 

 has been, that an accuracy, to a fraction of a second of time, can 

 always be attained at the Madras Observatory. The advantage of this 

 to navigation need not be pointed out, the commanders of vessels 

 frequenting this port being unable, by the ordinary means, to arrive at 

 such exact results. 



Mr. Taylor has invented a mechanical means, described in the J our- 

 nal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal for May 1835, for the verification 

 of the zero points of the instruments formed upon the collimation 

 principle, which Sir John Herschel (who it seems had, about the same 

 time, struck out something of the same kind himself at the Cape) has 

 declared to be " a method of great importance, and likely to supersede 

 every other method of examination. "f 



The progress of that wondrous celestial visitant, the Comet of 

 Halley, whose re-appearance rendered celebrated the year 1835, was 

 attentively watched at the Madras Observatory, and, but for cloudy 

 weather, would have been seen here as early as it was in Europe. We 

 extract the following remarks : 



" The observations of Halley's Comet which now follow, do not 

 commence until the 30th August 1835, although it is probable it might 

 have been observed several days previously had not cloudy weather 

 prevented :— From this date up to the 5th February 1836, and on April 

 3d, the observations were made with Dollond's 5 feet Achromatic 



* Preface. 



i Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. iv. p. 519, 



