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Proceedings of the Boyal Society 
from my acquaintance with that object in Lord Bosse’s six feet, I 
consider a real feat. With it he discovered the obscure ring of 
Saturn, his eighth satellite, two satellites of Uranus, and one of 
Neptune, besides making a number of valuable observations on the 
physical aspects of the Planets.* In 1850 he applied to the specula 
of this telescope a system of lever counterpoises intended to support 
their weight laterally and prevent any of the distortions which he 
thought the usual hoop supports might produce at low altitudes. 
But it may be questioned whether they were less likely to do harm 
than the hoop, which acts very well. Latterly, dissatisfied with the 
smoky atmosphere of Lancashire, he established this telescope at 
Malta, where he observed with it for a year. The wonderful clear- 
ness of the sky excited in him a desire for yet more powerful 
optical means, and he constructed another Newtonian of four feet 
aperture, which he has described in the “ Memoirs of the Astrono- 
mical Society, vol. xxxvi.” Its equatorial is similar to the 
mountings of the former telescopes, but it would not be sufficient 
for the present demands of Astronomy, though it met all his 
requirements then. Yet it was a noble piece of engineering (and its 
low cost as compared with that of more recent equatorials is not 
unimportant). The tower which carries the observer is well worthy 
of notice. It was erected at Malta in 1862, and Lassell worked 
with it for four years, when failing health compelled him to 
renounce open air observations, and to return to England. In proof 
of the excellence of this telescope it may suffice to quote the words 
of Otto Struve : — 
“The way in which it showed the satellites of Uranus and 
Neptune gave me a very high idea of the excellence of this 
telescope Several double stars which I examined convinced 
me that in respect of sharpness of image Mr Lassell has obtained 
a remarkably favourable result ; ^ Aquila 7 and 8 magnitudes and 
0*6 apart, were clearly separated in dark night And the 
images were equally perfect at all altitudes.” 
The observations at Malta occupy a large part of vol. xxxvi. of 
“Astronomical Memoirs,” and are of great value, in particular those 
of Nebulae, with their accompanying illustrations; for the correctness 
* Some of these were simultaneously observed by Bond in America, with the 
Harvard fifteen inch aperture Achromatic. 
