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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
But, indeed, it would be hopeless to attempt, in the short space 
available to me here, to give any sufficient account of the 
labours of American astronomers, whether attached to govern- 
ment or state observatories, or working independently. Of the 
latter, and in my opinion not the least important class, I need 
cite only Drs. Rutherford and H. Draper, the former of whom, 
besides making other extremely important contributions to astro- 
nomy and physics, has produced celestial photographs admittedly 
better than any obtained on this side of the Atlantic, while the 
latter at an earlier period achieved results in celestial photog- 
raphy which were far superior to any obtained at that time, or 
for many subsequent years. The advice and assistance rendered 
by Dr. H. Draper to the astronomers to whom was entrusted the 
preparations for the recent transit, was most deservedly com- 
memorated in a medal which the American government honoured 
itself by awarding to him. 
The most striking feature in the contributions made by 
Americans to astronomy appears to me to be the skill shown in 
noting the essential points to be aimed at, and the fertility and 
Teadiness of resource exhibited as the work proceeds. In Eng- 
land, students of astronomy are too much in the habit of 
following conventional rules and wasting time over unnecessary 
preliminaries. An American astronomer notes that some par- 
ticular observation is wanted, and directs his efforts to making 
that observation, not considering it necessary in the first place 
to go over ground already repeatedly traversed by others. 
I have been sometimes asked whether officialism is as ram- 
pant in America as in England in matters scientific. American 
scientific officials have assured me that it is, or rather (for they 
have not worded the matter precisely in that way) they hold 
that official science is properly (as they consider) paramount in 
their country. I was gravely assured in Washington, for 
instance, that the course which I had pursued in England with 
reference to the suggested official schemes for observing the 
transit of Venus in 1874 would never have been tolerated in 
America, despite the fact that the course actually followed by 
American official science was precisely that which I had advised. 
It was the principle, so an eminent American official scientist 
assured me, which was in question, and no American would have 
been suffered to oppose as I did the course advised by the chief 
official astronomer. What would have happened to such an un- 
fortunate was not clearly indicated ; and I must confess that all 
I heard outside official scientific circles in America suggested to 
me that any mistake made by official science would be com- 
mented upon even more freely in America than in England, 
and quite as safely. In fact, I had reason to believe that the 
warmth of my own welcome in America was in no small degree 
