AT GREENWICH OBSERVATORY--1846 TO 1856.
1846
"On Nov. 7th I proposed a change in the form of Estimates for the
Observatory. The original astronomical part was provided by the
Admiralty, and the new magnetical and meteorological part was provided
by the Treasury: and the whole Estimates and Accounts of the
Observatory never appeared in one public paper. I proposed that the
whole should be placed on the Navy Estimates, but the Admiralty
refused. I repeated this in subsequent years, with no success.
Meantime I always sent to the Admiralty a duplicate of my
Treasury Estimate with the proper Admiralty Estimate.--Stephenson's
Railway through the lower part of the Park, in tunnel about 850 feet
from the Observatory, was again brought forward. On Feb. 20th it was
put before me by the Government, and on March 9th I made experiments
at Kensal Green, specially on the effect of a tunnel: which I found to
be considerable in suppressing the tremors. On May 6th I made my
Report, generally favourable, supposing the railway to be in
tunnel. On May 13th I, with Mr Stephenson, had an interview at the
Admiralty with Lord Ellenborough and Sir George Cockburn. The Earl
appeared willing to relax in his scruples about allowing a railway
through the Park, when Sir George Cockburn made a most solemn protest
against it, on the ground of danger to an institution of such
importance as the Observatory. I have no doubt that this protest of
Sir George Cockburn's really determined the Government. On June 10th I
was informed that the Government refused their consent. After this the
South Eastern Railway Company adopted the line through Tranquil
Vale.--In consequence of the defective state of Paramatta Observatory
I had written to Sir Robert Peel on April 16th raising the question of
a General Superintending Board for Colonial Observatories: and on June
27th I saw Mr Gladstone at the Colonial Office to enquire about the
possibility of establishing local Boards. On June 29th a general plan
was settled, but it never came to anything.--Forty volumes of the
Observatory MSS. were bound--an important beginning.--Deep-sunk
thermometers were prepared by Prof. Forbes.--On June 22nd Sir Robert
Inglis procured an Order of the House of Commons for printing a paper
of Sir James South's, ostensibly on the effects of a railway passing
through Greenwich Park, but really attacking almost everything that I
did in the Observatory. I replied to this on July 21st by a letter in
the Athenaeum addressed to Sir Robert Inglis, in terms so strong and
so well supported that Sir James South was effectually silenced." The
following extract from a letter of Airy's to the Earl of Rosse, dated
Dec. 15th 1846, will shew how pronounced the quarrel between Airy and
South had become in consequence of the above-mentioned attack and
previous differences: "After the public exposure which his conduct in
the last summer compelled me to make, I certainly cannot meet him on
equal terms, and desire not to meet him at all." (Ed.).--"In the
Mag. and Met. Department, I was constantly engaged with Mr Charles
Brooke in the preparation and mounting of the self-registering
instruments, and the chemical arrangements for their use, to the end
of the year. With Mr Ronalds I was similarly engaged: but I had the
greatest difficulty in transacting business with him, from his
unpractical habits.--The equipment of the Liverpool Observatory, under
me, was still going on: I introduced the use of Siemens's Chronometric
Governor for giving horary motion to an Equatoreal there. I have since
introduced the same principle in the Chronograph Barrel and the Great
Equatoreal at Greenwich: I consider it important.--On Feb. 13th I
received the Astronomical Society's Medal for the Planetary
Reductions.--In the University of London: At this time seriously began
the discussion whether there should be a compulsory examination in
matters bearing on religious subjects. After this there was no
peace.--For discovery of Comets three medals were awarded by
Schumacher and me: one to Peters, two to De Vico. A comet was seen by
Hind, and by no other observer: after correspondence, principally in
1848, the medal was refused to him.--With respect to the Railway Gauge
Commission: On Jan. 1st, in our experiments near York, the engine ran
off the rails. On Jan. 29th the Commissioners signed the Report, and
the business was concluded by the end of April. Our recommendation was
that the narrow gauge should be carried throughout. This was opposed
most violently by partisans of the broad gauge, and they had
sufficient influence in Parliament to prevent our recommendation from
being carried into effect. But the policy, even of the Great Western
Railway (in which the broad gauge originated), has supported our
views: the narrow gauge has been gradually substituted for the broad:
and the broad now (1872) scarcely exists.--On June 20th Lord Canning
enquired of me about makers for the clock in the Clock Tower of
Westminster Palace. I suggested Vulliamy, Dent, Whitehurst; and made
other suggestions: I had some correspondence with E. B. Denison, about
clocks.--I had much correspondence with Stephenson about the Tubular
Bridge over the Menai Straits. Stephenson afterwards spoke of my
assistance as having much supported him in this anxious work: on
Dec. 11th I was requested to make a Report, and to charge a fee as a
Civil Engineer; but I declined to do so. In January I went, with
George Arthur Biddell, to Portsmouth, to examine Lord Dundonald's
rotary engine as mounted in the 'Janus,' and made a Report on the same
to the Admiralty: and I made several subsequent Reports on the same
matter. The scheme was abandoned in the course of next year; the real
cause of failure, as I believe, was in the bad mounting in the ship.
"The engrossing subject of this year was the discovery of Neptune. As
I have said (1845) I obtained no answer from Adams to a letter of
enquiry. Beginning with June 26th of 1846 I had correspondence of a
satisfactory character with Le Verrier, who had taken up the subject
of the disturbance of Uranus, and arrived at conclusions not very
different from those of Adams. I wrote from Ely on July 9th to
Challis, begging him, as in possession of the largest telescope in
England, to sweep for the planet, and suggesting a plan. I received
information of its recognition by Galle, when I was visiting Hansen at
Gotha. For further official history, see my communications to the
Royal Astronomical Society, and for private history see the papers in
the Royal Observatory. I was abused most savagely both by English and
French."
The Report to the Visitors contains an interesting account of the
Great Lunar Reductions, from which the following passage is extracted:
"Of the Third Section, containing the comparison of Observed Places
with Tabular Places, three sheets are printed, from 1750 to 1756. This
comparison, it is to be observed, does not contain a simple comparison
of places, but contains also the coefficients of the various changes
in the moon's place depending on changes in the elements.... The
process for the correction of the elements by means of these
comparisons is now going on: and the extent of this work, even after
so much has been prepared, almost exceeds belief. For the longitude,
ten columns are added in groups, formed in thirteen different ways,
each different way having on the average about nine hundred
groups. For the ecliptic polar distance, five columns are added in
groups, formed in seven different ways, each different way having on
the average about nine hundred groups. Thus it will appear that there
are not fewer than 150,000 additions of columns of figures. This part
of the work is not only completed but is verified, so that the books
of comparison of Observed and Tabular Places are, as regards this
work, completely cleared out. The next step is to take the means of
these groups, a process which is now in hand: it will be followed by
the formation and solution of the equations on which the corrections
of the elements depend."
The following remarks, extracted from the Report to the Visitors, with
respect to the instrumental equipment of the Observatory, embody the
views of the Astronomer Royal at this time: "The utmost change, which
I contemplate as likely to occur in many years, in regard to our
meridional instruments, is the substitution of instruments of the same
class carrying telescopes of larger aperture. The only instrument
which, as I think, may possibly be called for by the demands of the
astronomer or the astronomical public, is a telescope of the largest
size, for the observation of faint nebulae and minute double
stars. Whether the addition of such an instrument to our apparatus
would be an advantage, is, in my opinion, not free from doubt. The
line of conduct for the Observatory is sufficiently well traced; there
can be no doubt that our primary objects ought to be the accurate
determination of places of the fundamental Stars, the Sun, the
Planets, and, above all, the Moon. Any addition whatever to our powers
or our instrumental luxuries, which should tend to withdraw our
energies from these objects, would be a misfortune to the
Observatory."
Of private history: "In March I visited Prof. Sedgwick at Norwich.--On
Mar. 28th the 'Sir Henry Pottinger' was launched from Fairbairn's Yard
on the Isle of Dogs, where I was thrown down and dislocated my right
thumb.--From Apr. 10th to 15th I was at Playford.--On June 10th Prof.
Hansen arrived, and stayed with me to July 4th.--From July 6th to 10th
I was visiting Dean Peacock at Ely.--From July 23rd to 29th I was at
Playford, where for the first time I lodged in my own cottage. I had
bought it some time before, and my sister had superintended
alterations and the addition of a room. I was much pleased thus to be
connected with the happy scenes of my youth.--From Aug. 10th to Oct.
11th I was with my wife and her sister Elizabeth Smith on the
Continent. We stayed for some time at Wiesbaden, as my nerves were
shaken by the work on the Railway Gauge Commission, and I wanted the
Wiesbaden waters. We visited various places in Germany, and made a
10-days' excursion among the Swiss Mountains. At Gotha we lodged with
Prof. Hansen for three days; and it was while staying here that I
heard from Prof. Encke (on Sept. 29th) that Galle had discovered the
expected planet. We visited Gauss at Göttingen and Miss Caroline
Herschel at Hannover. We had a very bad passage from Hamburgh to
London, lasting five days: a crank-pin broke and had to be repaired:
after four days our sea-sickness had gone off, during the gale--a
valuable discovery for me, as I never afterwards feared
sea-sickness.--On Dec. 22nd I attended the celebration of the 300th
anniversary of Trinity College."
* * * * *
The following extracts relating to the engines of the "Janus" are
taken from letters to his wife dated from Portsmouth, Jan. 6th and
7th, 1846:
As soon as possible we repaired to the Dock Yard and presented
ourselves to the Admiral Superintendant--Admiral Hyde Parker (not Sir
Hyde Parker). Found that the "Janus" had not arrived: the Admiral
Superintendant (who does not spare a hard word) expressing himself
curiously thereon. But he had got the proper orders from the Admiralty
relating to me: so he immediately sent for Mr Taplin, the
superintendant of machinery: and we went off to see the small engine
of Lord D--d's construction which is working some pumps and other
machinery in the yard. It was kept at work a little longer than usual
for us to see it. And I have no hesitation in saying that it was
working extremely well. It had not been opened in any way for half a
year, and not for repair or packing for a much longer time.... This
morning we went to the Dock Yard, and on entering the engine house
there was Shirreff, and Lord D--d soon appeared. The "Janus" had come
to anchor at Spithead late last night, and had entered the harbour
this morning. Blowing weather on Saturday night. We had the engine
pretty well pulled to pieces, and sat contemplating her a long
time. Before this Denison had come to us. We then went on board the
"Janus" with Shirreff but not with Lord D--d. The engines were still
hot, and so they were turned backwards a little for my edification.
(This was convenient because, the vessel being moored by her
head, she could thus strain backwards without doing mischief.) The
vacuum not good. Then, after a luncheon on board, it was agreed to run
out a little way. But the engines absolutely stuck fast, and would not
stir a bit. This I considered a perfect Godsend. So the paddle-wheels
(at my desire) were lashed fast, and we are to see her opened
to-morrow morning.
This morning (Jan. 7th) we all went off to the "Janus," where we
expected to find the end of the cylinder (where we believe yesterday's
block to have taken place) withdrawn. But it was not near it. After a
great many bolts were drawn, it was discovered that one bolt could not
be drawn, and in order to get room for working at it, it was necessary
to take off the end of the other cylinder. And such a job! Three
pulley hooks were broken in my sight, and I believe some out of my
sight. However this auxiliary end was at last got off: and the people
began to act on the refractory bolt. But by this time it was getting
dark and the men were leaving the dockyard, so I left, arranging that
what they could do in preparation for me might be done in good time
to-morrow morning.
1847
"On Nov. 13th I circulated an Address, proposing to discontinue the
use of the Zenith Tube, because it had been found by a long course of
comparative trials that the Zenith Tube was not more accurate than the
Mural Circle. The Address stated that 'This want of superior
efficiency of the Zenith Tube (which, considered in reference to the
expectations that had been formed of its accuracy, must be estimated
as a positive failure) is probably due to two circumstances. One is,
the use of a plumb-line; which appears to be affected with various
ill-understood causes of unsteadiness. The other is, the insuperable
difficulty of ventilating the room in which the instrument is
mounted.'--On December 20th I circulated an Address, proposing a
Transit Circle, with telescope of 8 inches aperture. The Address
states as follows: 'The clear aperture of the Object-Glass of our
Transit Instrument is very nearly 5 inches, that of our Mural Circle
is very nearly 4 inches.'--I had been requested by the Master-General
of Ordnance (I think) to examine Candidates for a Mastership in
Woolwich Academy, and I was employed on it in February and March, in
conjunction with Prof. Christie.--In January I applied to Lord
Auckland for money-assistance to make an astronomical journey on the
Continent, but he refused.--On Mar. 19th Sir James South addressed to
the Admiralty a formal complaint against me for not observing with the
astronomical instruments: on Mar. 31st I was triumphantly acquitted by
the Admiralty.--In June I was requested by the Commissioners of
Railways to act as President of a Commission on Iron Bridges
(suggested by the fall of the bridge at Chester). Lord Auckland
objected to it, and I was not sorry to be spared the trouble of
it.--In December I was requested, and undertook to prepare the
Astronomical part of the Scientific Manual for Naval Officers.--On
Sept. 24th occurred a very remarkable Magnetic Storm, to which there
had been nothing comparable before. Mr Glaisher had it observed by eye
extremely well, and I printed and circulated a paper concerning
it.--Hansen, stimulated by the Lunar Reductions, discovered two long
inequalities in the motion of the Moon, produced by the action of
Venus. In the Report to the Visitors this matter is thus referred to:
'In the last summer I had the pleasure of visiting Prof. Hansen at
Gotha, and I was so fortunate as to exhibit to him the corrections of
the elements from these Reductions, and strongly to call his attention
to their certainty, the peculiarity of their fluctuations, and the
necessity of seeking for some physical explanation. I have much
pleasure in indulging in the thought, that it was mainly owing to this
representation that Prof. Hansen undertook that quest, which has
terminated in the discovery of his two new lunar inequalities, the
most remarkable discovery, I think, in Physical Astronomy.'--In
discussing points relating to the discovery of Neptune, I made an
unfortunate blunder. In a paper hastily sent to the Athenaeum
(Feb. 18th) I said that Arago's conduct had been indelicate. I
perceived instantly that I had used a wrong expression, and by the
very next post I sent an altered expression. This altered expression
was not received in time, and the original expression was printed, to
my great sorrow. I could not then apologize. But at what appeared to
be the first opportunity, in December, I did apologize; and my apology
was accepted. But I think that Arago was never again so cordial as
before.--On July 4th Hebe was discovered. After this Iris and
Flora. Now commenced that train of discoveries which has added more
than 100 planets to the Solar System.--On Oct. 8th was an Annular
Eclipse of the Sun, of which the limit of annularity passed near to
Greenwich. To determine the exact place, I equipped observatories at
Hayes, Lewisham South End, Lewisham Village, Blackwall, Stratford,
Walthamstow, and Chingford. The weather was bad and no observation was
obtained.--In the Royal Astronomical Society: In 1846, the dispute
between the partisans of Adams and Le Verrier was so violent that no
medal could be awarded to either. In 1847 I (with other Fellows of the
Society) promoted a special Meeting for considering such a
modification of the bye-laws that for this occasion only it might be
permissible to give two medals. After two days' stormy discussion, it
was rejected.--In the University of London: At a meeting in July,
where the religious question was discussed, it was proposed to receive
some testimonial from affiliated bodies, or to consider that or some
other plan for introducing religious literature. As the propriety of
this was doubtful, there was a general feeling for taking legal
advice: and it was set aside solely on purpose to raise the question
about legal consultation. _That_ was negatived by vote: and I then
claimed the consideration of the question which we had put aside for
it. By the influence of H. Warburton, M.P., this was denied. I wrote a
letter to be laid before the Meeting on July 28th, when I was
necessarily absent, urging my claim: my letter was put aside. I
determined never to sit with Warburton again: on Aug. 2nd I intimated
to Lord Burlington my wish to retire, and on Aug. 29th he transmitted
to the Home Secretary my resignation. He (Lord Burlington) fully
expressed his opinion that my claim ought to have been allowed.--On
June 9th, on the occasion of Prince Albert's state visit to Cambridge,
knighthood was offered to me through his Secretary, Prof. Sedgwick,
but I declined it.--In September, the Russian Order of St Stanislas
was offered to me, Mr De Berg, the Secretary of Embassy, coming to
Greenwich personally to announce it: but I was compelled by our
Government Rules to decline it.--I invited Le Verrier to England, and
escorted him to the Meeting of the British Association at Oxford in
June.--As regards the Westminster Clock on the Parliamentary Building:
in May I examined and reported on Dent's and Whitehurst's clock
factories. Vulliamy was excessively angry with me. On May 31st a great
Parliamentary Paper was prepared in return to an Order of the House of
Lords for correspondence relating to the Clock.--With respect to the
Saw Mills for Ship Timber: work was going on under the direction of
Sylvester to Mar. 18th. It was, I believe, at that time, that the
fire occurred in Chatham Dock Yard which burnt the whole of the
saw-machinery. I was tired of my machinery: and, from the extending
use of iron ships, the probable value of it was much diminished; and I
made no effort to restore it."
Of private history: "In February I went to Derby to see Whitehurst's
clock factory; and went on with my wife to Brampton near Chesterfield,
where her mother was living.--From Apr. 1st to 5th I was at
Playford.--On Holy Thursday, I walked the Parish Bounds (of Greenwich)
with the Parish officers and others. From Apr. 19th to 24th I was at
Birmingham (on a visit to Guest, my former pupil, and afterwards
Master of Caius College) and its neighbourhood, with George Arthur
Biddell.--From June 23rd to 28th I was at Oxford and Malvern: my
sister was at Malvern, for water-cure: the meeting of the British
Association was at Oxford and I escorted Le Verrier thither.--July
28th to 30th I was at Brampton.--From August 10th to September 18th I
was engaged on an expedition to St Petersburg, chiefly with the object
of inspecting the Pulkowa Observatory. I went by Hamburg to Altona,
where I met Struve, and started with him in an open waggon for Lübeck,
where we arrived on Aug. 14th. We proceeded by steamer to Cronstadt
and Petersburg, and so to Pulkowa, where I lodged with O. Struve. I
was here engaged till Sept. 4th, in the Observatory, in expeditions in
the neighbourhood and at St Petersburg, and at dinner-parties, &c. I
met Count Colloredo, Count Ouvaroff, Count Stroganoff, Lord Bloomfield
(British Ambassador), and others. On Sept. 4th I went in a small
steamer to Cronstadt, and then in the Vladimir to Swinemünde: we were
then towed in a passage boat to Stettin, and I proceeded by railway to
Berlin. On Sept. 9th I found Galle and saw the Observatory. On
Sept. 10th I went to Potzdam and saw Humboldt. On the 12th I went to
Hamburg and lodged with Schumacher: I here visited Repsold and
Rümker. On Sept. 14th I embarked in the John Bull for London, and
arrived there on the evening of the 18th: on the 16th it was blowing
'a whole gale,' reported to be the heaviest gale known for so many
hours; 4 bullocks and 24 sheep were thrown overboard.--From Dec. 3rd
to 8th I was at Cambridge, and from the 22nd to 31st at Playford."
* * * * *
Here is a letter to his wife written from Birmingham, containing a
note of the progress of the ironwork for the Menai Bridge:
EDGBASTON, BIRMINGHAM,
_1847, Apr. 22_.
Yesterday morning we started between 10 and 11 for Stourbridge, first
to see some clay which is celebrated all over the world as the only
clay which is fit to make pots for melting glass, &c. You know that in
all these fiery regions, fire-clay is a thing of very great
importance, as no furnace will stand if made of any ordinary bricks
(and even with the fire-clay, the small furnaces are examined every
week), but this Stourbridge clay is as superior to fire-clay as
fire-clay is to common brick-earth. Then we went to Fosters' puddling
and rolling works near Stourbridge. These are on a very large scale:
of course much that we saw was a repetition of what we had seen
before, but there were slitting mills, machines for rolling the
puddled blooms instead of hammering them, &c., and we had the
satisfaction of handling the puddling irons ourselves. Then we went to
another work of the Fosters not far from Dudley, where part of the
work of the Tube Bridge for the Menai is going on. The Fosters are, I
believe, the largest iron masters in the country, and the two
principal partners, the elder Mr Foster and his Nephew, accompanied us
in all our inspections and steppings from one set of works to another.
The length of Tube Bridge which they have in hand here is only 120
feet, about 1/4 of the whole length: and at present they are only busy
on the bottom part of it: but it is a prodigious thing. I shall be
anxious about it. Then we went to other works of the Fosters' at
King's Wynford, where they have blast furnaces: and here after seeing
all other usual things we saw the furnaces tapped. In this district
the Fosters work the 10-yard coal in a way different from any body
else: they work out the upper half of its thickness and then leave the
ground to fall in: after a year or two this ground becomes so hard as
to make a good safe roof, and then they work away the other half: thus
they avoid much of the danger and difficulty of working the thick bed
all at once. The ventilation of these mines scarcely ever requires
fires, and then only what they call "lamps," those little fire-places
which are used for giving light at night. (In the Northumberland and
Durham pits, they constantly have immense roaring fires to make a
draught.) Then we came home through Dudley.
* * * * *
During his stay in Russia, there was a great desire manifested by the
astronomers and scientific men of Russia that he should be presented
to the Emperor. This would no doubt have taken place had not the
movements of the Court and his own want of time prevented it. The
following letter to the British Ambassador, Lord Bloomfield, relates
to this matter:
PULKOWA,
_1847, August 25th_.
_Wednesday evening_.
MY LORD,
I had the honour yesterday to receive your Lordship's note of Sunday
last, which by some irregularity in the communications with this place
reached me, I believe, later than it ought. From this circumstance,
and also from my being made acquainted only this afternoon with some
official arrangements, I am compelled to trouble you at a time which I
fear is less convenient than I could have desired.
The object of my present communication is, to ask whether (if the
movements of the Court permit it) it would be agreeable to your
Lordship to present me to the Emperor. In explanation of this enquiry,
I beg leave to state that this is an honour to which, personally, I
could not think of aspiring. My presence however at Pulkowa at this
time is in an official character. As Astronomer Royal of England, I
have thought it my duty to make myself perfectly acquainted with the
Observatory of Pulkowa, and this is the sole object of my journey to
Russia. It is understood that the Emperor takes great interest in the
reputation of the Observatory, and I am confident that the remarks
upon it which I am able to make would be agreeable to him.
I place these reasons before you, awaiting entirely Your Lordship's
decision on the propriety of the step to which I have alluded. I am
to leave St Petersburg on Saturday the 4th of September.
I have the honor to be
My Lord,
Your Lordship's very faithful servant,
G. B. AIRY.
_Lord Bloomfield, &c., &c._
* * * * *
It was probably in acknowledgment of this letter that in due time he
received the following letter with the offer of the Russian Order of
St Stanislas:
MONSIEUR L'ASTRONOME ROYAL,
Sa Majesté l'Empereur en appréciant les travaux assidus qui vous ont
donné une place distinguée au rang des plus illustres Astronomes de
l'Europe, et la coopération bienveillante, que vous n'avez cessé de
témoigner aux Astronomes Russes dans les expéditions, dont ils étaient
chargés, et en dernier lieu par votre visite à l'Observatoire central
de Poulkova, a daigné sur mon rapport, vous nommer Chevalier de la
seconde classe de l'Ordre Impérial et Royal de St Stanislas. Je ne
manquerai pas de vous faire parvenir par l'entremise de Lord
Bloomfield les insignes et la patente de l'ordre.
Veuillez en attendant, Monsieur, recevoir mes sincères félicitations
et l'assurance de ma parfaite considération.
Le Ministre de l'instruction publique,
CTE OUVAROFF.
ST PÉTERSBOURG,
_ce_ 24 _Août_, 1847
----------
5 _Septbr._
_à Mr G. B. Airy, Esq.,
Astronome Royal de S. M. Britannique à
Greenwich_.
* * * * *
Airy provisionally accepted the Order, but wrote at once to Lord John
Russell the following letter of enquiry:
ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH,
_1847, Oct. 15_.
MY LORD,
In respect of the office of Astronomer Royal, I refer to the first
Lord of the Treasury as Official Patron. In virtue of this relation I
have the honour to lay before your Lordship the following statement,
and to solicit your instructions thereon.
For conducting with efficiency and with credit to the nation the
institution which is entrusted to me, I have judged it proper to
cultivate intimate relations with the principal Observatories of
Europe, and in particular with the great Observatory founded by the
Emperor of Russia at Pulkowa near St Petersburg. I have several times
received Mr Struve, the Director of that Observatory, at Greenwich:
and in the past summer I made a journey to St Petersburg for the
purpose of seeing the Observatory of Pulkowa.
Since my return from Russia, I have received a communication from
Count Ouvaroff, Minister of Public Instruction in the Russian Empire,
informing me that the Emperor of Russia desires to confer on me the
decoration of Knight Commander in the second rank of the Order of St
Stanislas.
And I have the honour now to enquire of your Lordship whether it is
permitted to me to accept from the Emperor of Russia this decoration.
I have the honour to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's very obedient servant,
G.B. AIRY.
_The Rt Honble Lord John Russell,
&c. &c. &c.
First Lord of the Treasury_.
* * * * *
The answer was as follows:
DOWNING STREET,
_October 19, 1847_.
SIR,
I am desired by Lord John Russell to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter, of the 14th inst. and to transmit to you the enclosed paper
respecting Foreign Orders by which you will perceive that it would be
contrary to the regulations to grant you the permission you desire.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
C.A. GREY.
_G. B. Airy, Esq_.
* * * * *
The passage in the Regulations referred to above is quoted in the
following letter to Count Ouvaroff:
ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH,
_1847, Oct. 22_.
SIR,
Referring to your Excellency's letter of the 24 August/5 September,
and to my answer of the 25th September, in which I expressed my sense
of the high honor conferred on me by His Majesty the Emperor of Russia
in offering me, through your Excellency, the Order of St Stanislas,
and my pride in accepting it:--I beg leave further to acquaint you
that I have thought it necessary to make enquiry of Lord John Russell,
First Lord of Her Majesty's Treasury, as to my competency to accept
this decoration from His Majesty the Emperor of Russia: and that his
Lordship in reply has referred me to the following Regulation of the
British Court;
"5th. That no Subject of Her Majesty could be allowed to accept the
Insignia of a Foreign Order from any Sovereign of a Foreign State,
except they shall be so conferred in consequence of active and
distinguished services before the Enemy, either at Sea, or in the
Field; or unless he shall have been actually employed in the Service
of the Foreign Sovereign."
In consequence of the stringency of this Regulation, it is my duty now
to state to your Excellency that I am unable to accept the decoration
which His Majesty the Emperor of Russia was pleased, through your
Excellency, to offer to me.
I beg leave to repeat the expression of my profound reverence to His
Majesty and of my deep sense of the honor which he has done me.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your Excellency's very faithful
and obedient servant,
G.B. AIRY.
_To His Excellency
Count Ouvaroff,
&c. &c._
In the course of the following year a very handsome gold medal,
specially struck, was transmitted by Count Ouvaroff on the part of the
Emperor of Russia, to Mr Airy.
1848
"In April I received authority to purchase of Simms an 8-inch
object-glass for the new Transit Circle for _£300_. The glass was
tested and found satisfactory. While at Playford in January I drew the
first plans of the Transit Circle: and C. May sketched some
parts. Definite plans were soon sent to Ransomes and May, and to Simms
in March. The instrument and the building were proceeded with during
the year. The New Transit Circle was to be erected in the Circle
Room, and considerable arrangement was necessary for continuing the
Circle Observations with the existing instruments, whilst the new
instrument was under erection. When the new Transit is completely
mounted, the old Transit Instrument may be removed, and the Transit
Room will be free for any other purpose. I propose to take it as
Private Room for the Astronomer Royal.--On May 12th I made my first
proposal of the Reflex Zenith Tube. The principle of it is as follows:
Let the micrometer be placed close to the object-glass, the frame of
the micrometer being firmly connected with the object-glass cell, and
a reflecting eye-piece being used with no material tube passing over
the object-glass: and let a basin of quicksilver be placed below the
object-glass, but in no mechanical connection with it, at a distance
equal to half the focal length of the object-glass. Such an
instrument would at least be free from all uncertainties of twist of
plumb-line, viscosity of water, attachment of upper plumb-line
microscope, attachment of lower plumb-line microscope, and the
observations connected with them: and might be expected, as a result
of this extreme simplicity, to give accurate results.--A considerable
error was discovered in the graduation of Troughton's Circle,
amounting in one part to six seconds, which is referred to as follows:
'This instance has strongly confirmed me in an opinion which I have
long held--that no independent division is comparable in general
accuracy to engine-division,--where the fundamental divisions of the
engine have been made by Troughton's method, and where in any case the
determination by the astronomer of errors of a few divisions will
suffice, in consequence of the uniformity of law of error, to give the
errors of the intermediate divisions.'--The method of observing with
the Altazimuth is carefully described, and the effect of it, in
increasing the number of observations of the Moon, is thus given for
the thirteen lunations between 1847, May 15, and 1848, May 30. 'Number
of days of complete observations with the Meridional Instruments, 111;
number of days of complete observations with Altitude and Azimuth
Instrument, 203. The results of the observations appear very good;
perhaps a little, and but a little, inferior to those of the
Meridional Instruments. I consider that the object for which this
instrument was erected is successfully attained.'--Being satisfied
with the general efficiency of the system arranged by Mr Brooke for
our photographic records (of magnetical observations) I wrote to the
Admiralty in his favour, and on Aug. 25th the Admiralty ordered the
payment of _£500_ to him. A Committee of the Royal Society also
recommended a reward of _£250_ to Mr Ronalds, which I believe was paid
to him.--On May 1st the last revise of the Lunar Reductions was
passed, and on May 5th, 500 copies were sent for binding.--In this
year Schumacher and I refused a medal to Miss Mitchell for a Comet
discovered, because the rules of correspondence had not been strictly
followed: the King of Denmark gave one by special favour.--In this
year occurred the discovery of Saturn's 8th Satellite by Mr Lassell:
upon which I have various correspondence.--On the 18th of December the
degree of LL.D. was conferred upon me by the University of
Edinburgh.--The Ipswich Lectures: A wish had been expressed that I
would give a series of Astronomical Lectures to the people of
Ipswich. I therefore arranged with great care the necessary apparatus,
and lectured six evenings in a room (I forget its name--it might be
Temperance Hall--high above St Matthew's Street), from Mar. 13th to
the end of the week. A shorthand writer took them down: and these
formed the 'Ipswich Lectures,' which were afterwards published by the
Ipswich Museum (for whose benefit the lectures were given) and by
myself, in several editions, and afterwards by Messrs Macmillan in
repeated editions under the title of 'Airy's Popular Astronomy.'--It
had been found necessary to include under one body all the unconnected
Commissions of Sewers for the Metropolis, and Lord Morpeth requested
me to be a member. Its operations began on Oct. 28th. In constitution
it was the most foolish that I ever knew: consisting of, I think, some
200 persons, who could not possibly attend to it. It came to an end in
the next year."
Of private history: "I was at Playford from Jan. 1st to 11th, and
again from Jan. 17th to 25th: also at Playford from June 21st to July
12th.--From Aug. 23rd to Sept. 12th I was in Ireland on a visit to
Lord Rosse at Parsonstown, chiefly engaged on trials of his large
telescope. I returned by Liverpool, where I inspected the Liverpool
Equatoreal and Clockwork, and examined Mr Lassell's telescopes and
grinding apparatus.--From Dec. 6th to 20th I was at Edinburgh with my
wife, on a visit to Prof. J. D. Forbes. We made various excursions,
and I attended lectures by Prof. Wilson and Sir W. Hamilton: on the
18th I gave a lecture in Prof. Forbes's room. I received the Honorary
Degree of LL.D., and made a statement on the Telescopes of Lord Rosse
and Mr Lassell to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Returned to
Greenwich by Brampton."
* * * * *
Here is a reminiscence of the "Ipswich Lectures," in a letter to his
wife, dated Playford, 1848 Mar. 14, "At the proper time I went to the
hall: found a chairman installed (Mr Western): was presented to him,
and by him presented to the audience: made my bow and commenced. The
room was quite full: I have rarely seen such a sea of faces; about 700
I believe. Everything went off extremely well, except that the rollers
of the moving piece of sky would squeak: but people did not mind it:
and when first a star passed the meridian, then Jupiter, then some
stars, and then Saturn, he was much applauded. Before beginning I gave
notice that I should wait to answer questions: and as soon as the
lecture was finished the Chairman repeated this and begged people to
ask. So several people did ask very pertinent questions (from the
benches) shewing that they had attended well. Others came up and
asked questions."
* * * * *
The following extracts are from letters written to his wife while on
his visit to Lord Rosse at Parsonstown in Ireland. On the way he
stopped at Bangor and looked at the Tubular Bridge Works, which are
thus referred to: "Stopped at Bangor, settled _pro tem_. at the
Castle, and then walked past the Suspension Bridge towards the Tube
Works, which are about 1-1/2 mile south-west of the Suspension Bridge.
The way was by a path through fields near the water side: and from one
or two points in this, the appearance of the Suspension Bridge was
most majestic. The Tube Bridge consists of four spans, two over water
and two over sloping land. The parts for the double tube over the
water spans (four lengths of tube) are building on a platform as at
Conway, to be floated by barges as there: the parts over the sloping
banks are to be built in their place, on an immense scaffolding. I
suspect that, in regard to these parts, Stephenson is sacrificing a
great deal of money to uniformity of plan: and that it would have been
much cheaper to build out stone arches to the piers touching the
water.... The Tube Works are evidently the grand promenade of the
idlers about Bangor: I saw many scores of ladies and gentlemen walking
that way with their baskets of provision, evidently going to gipsy in
the fields close by."
THE CASTLE, PARSONSTOWN,
_1848, Aug. 29_.
After tea it was voted that the night was likely to be fine, so we all
turned out. The night was uncertain: sometimes entirely clouded,
sometimes partially, but objects were pretty well seen when the sky
was clear: the latter part was much steadier. From the interruption by
clouds, the slowness of finding with and managing a large instrument
(especially as their finding apparatus is not perfectly arranged) and
the desire of looking well at an object when we had got it, we did not
look at many objects. The principal were, Saturn and the Annular
Nebula of Lyra with the 3-feet; Saturn, a remarkable cluster of stars,
and a remarkable planetary nebula, with the 6-feet. With the large
telescope, the evidence of the quantity of light is prodigious. And
the light of an object is seen in the field without any colour or any
spreading of stray light: and it is easy to see that the vision with a
reflecting telescope may be much more perfect than with a
refractor. With these large apertures, the rings round the stars are
insensible. The planetary nebula looked a mass of living and intensely
brilliant light: this is an object which I do not suppose can be seen
at all in our ordinary telescopes. The definition of the stars near
the zenith is extremely good: with a high power (as 800) they are
points or very nearly so--indeed I believe quite so--so that it is
clear that the whole light from the great 6-feet mirror is collected
into a space not bigger than the point of a needle. But in other
positions of the telescope the definition is not good: and we must
look to-day to see what is the cause of this fault. It is not a fault
in the telescope, properly so-called, but it is either a tilt of the
mirror, or an edge-pressure upon the mirror when the telescope points
lower down which distorts its figure, or something of that kind. So I
could not see Saturn at all well, for which I was sorry, as I could so
well have compared his appearance with what I have seen before. I
shall be very much pleased if we can make out what is the fault of
adjustment, and so correct it as to get good images everywhere. It is
evident that the figuring of the mirror, the polishing, and the
general arrangement, are perfectly managed.
THE CASTLE, PARSONSTOWN,
_1848, Aug. 30_.
Yesterday we were employed entirely about the Great Telescope,
beginning rather late. The principal objects had relation to the fault
of definition when the telescope is pointed low (which I had remarked
on the preceding night), and were, to make ourselves acquainted with
the mechanism of the mirror's mounting generally, and to measure in
various ways whether the mirror actually does shift its place when the
telescope is set to different angles of elevation. For the latter we
found that the mirror actually does tilt 1/4 of an inch when the tube
points low. This of itself will not account for the fault but it
indicates that the lower part is held fast in a way that may cause a
strain which would produce the fault. These operations and reasonings
took a good deal of time. Lord Rosse is disposed to make an alteration
in the mounting for the purpose of correcting this possible strain.
THE CASTLE, PARSONSTOWN,
_1848, Aug. 31_.
The weather here is still vexatious: but not absolutely repulsive.
Yesterday morning Lord Rosse arranged a new method of suspending the
great mirror, so as to take its edgewise pressure in a manner that
allowed the springy supports of its flat back to act. This employed
his workmen all day, so that the proposed finish of polishing the new
mirror could not go on. I took one Camera Lucida sketch of the
instrument in the morning, dodging the heavy showers as well as I
could; then, as the afternoon was extremely fine, I took another, with
my head almost roasted by the sun. This last view is extremely pretty
and characteristic, embracing parts of the mounting not shewn well in
the others, and also shewing the Castle, the Observatory, and the
3-feet telescope. The night promised exceedingly well: but when we got
actually to the telescope it began to cloud and at length became
hopeless. However I saw that the fault which I had remarked on the two
preceding nights was gone. There is now a slight exhibition of another
fault to a much smaller extent. We shall probably be looking at the
telescope to-day in reference to it.
THE CASTLE, PARSONSTOWN,
_1848, Sept. 1_.
Yesterday we made some alterations in the mounting of the great
mirror. We found that sundry levers were loose which ought to be firm,
and we conjectured with great probability the cause of this, for
correction of which a change in other parts was necessary. The mirror
was then found to preserve its position much more fixedly than
before.... At night, upon trying the telescope, we found it very
faulty for stars near the zenith, where it had been free from fault
before. The screws which we had driven hard were then loosened, and
immediately it was made very good. Then we tried with some lower
objects, and it was good, almost equally good, there. For Saturn it
was very greatly superior to what it had been before. Still it is not
satisfactory to us, and at this time a strong chain is in preparation,
to support the mirror edgeways instead of the posts that there were at
first or the iron hoop which we had on it yesterday.
Nobody would have conceived that an edgewise gripe of such a mass of
metal could derange its form in this way.
Last night was the finest night we have had as regards clouds, though
perhaps not the best for definition of objects.
THE CASTLE, PARSONSTOWN,
_1848, Sept. 2_.
I cannot learn that the fault in the mirror had been noticed before,
but I fancy that the observations had been very much confined to the
Zenith and its neighbourhood.
1849
"In July the new constant-service water-pipes to the Observatory were
laid from Blackheath. Before this time the supply of water to the
Observatory had been made by a pipe leading up from the lower part of
the Park, and was not constant.--In May the new staircase from my
dwelling-house to the Octagon Room was commenced.--In the Report to
the Visitors there is a curious account of Mr Breen's (one of the
Assistants) personal equation, which was found to be different in
quantity for observations of the Moon and observations of the
Stars.--The most important set of observations (of planets) was a
series of measures of Saturn in four directions, at the time when his
ring had disappeared. They appear completely to negative the idea that
Saturn's form differs sensibly from an ellipsoid.--Among the General
Remarks of the Report the following appears: 'Another change (in
prospect) will depend on the use of galvanism; and as a probable
instance of the application of this agent, I may mention that,
although no positive step has hitherto been taken, I fully expect in
no long time to make the going of all the clocks in the Observatory
depend on one original regulator. The same means will probably be
employed to increase the general utility of the Observatory, by the
extensive dissemination throughout the kingdom of accurate
time-signals, moved by an original clock at the Royal Observatory; and
I have already entered into correspondence with the authorities of the
South Eastern Railway (whose line of galvanic communication will
shortly pass within nine furlongs of the Observatory) in reference to
this subject.'--I agreed with Schumacher in giving no medal to Mr
G. P. Bond; his comet was found to be Petersen's. Five medals were
awarded for comets in 1847 (Hind, Colla, Mauvais, Brorsen,
Schweizer).--The Liverpool Observatory was finished this year: and the
thanks of the Town Council were presented to me.--Respecting Fallows's
Observations at the Cape of Good Hope: I had received the Admiralty
sanction for proceeding with calculations in 1846, and I employed
computers as was convenient. On July 20th of this year I was ready
with final results, and began to make enquiries about Fallows's
personal history, and the early history of the Cape Observatory. On
Oct. 23rd I applied for sanction for printing, which was given, and
the work was soon finished off, in the Astronomical Society's
Memoirs.--In the month of March I had commenced correspondence with
various persons on the imperfect state of publication of the British
Survey. Sheets of the Map were issued by scores, but not one of them
had an indication of latitude or longitude engraved. I knew that great
pains had been taken in giving to the principal triangulation a degree
of accuracy never before reached, and in fixing the astronomical
latitudes of many stations with unequalled precision. Finally I
prepared for the Council of the Royal Society a very strong
representation on these subjects, which was adopted and presented to
the Government. It was entirely successful, and the Maps were in
future furnished with latitude and longitude lines.--I was elected
President of the Royal Astronomical Society on Feb. 9th.--In June I
went with Sheepshanks to see some of the operation of measuring a Base
on Salisbury Plain. The following extract from a letter to his wife
dated 1849, June 27th, relates to this expedition: 'In the morning we
started before eight in an open carriage to the Plain: looking into
Old Sarum on our way. The Base is measured on what I should think a
most unfavourable line, its north end (from which they have begun now,
in verification of the old measure) being the very highest point in
the whole plain, called Beacon Hill. The soldiers measure only 252
feet in a day, so it will take them a good while to measure the whole
seven miles. While we were there Col. Hall (Colby's successor) and
Yolland and Cosset came.'"
Of private history: "I made short visits to Playford in January, April
and July. From July 28th to Sept. 12th I made an expedition with my
wife to Orkney and Shetland.--From Dec. 24th to 26th I was at
Hawkhurst, on a visit to Sir John Herschel."
1850
"The Report to the Board of Visitors opens with the following
paragraph: 'In recording the proceedings at the Royal Observatory
during the last year, I have less of novelty to communicate to the
Visitors than in the Reports of several years past. Still I trust that
the present Report will not be uninteresting; as exhibiting, I hope, a
steady and vigorous adherence to a general plan long since matured,
accompanied with a reasonable watchfulness for the introduction of new
instruments and new methods when they may seem desirable.'--Since the
introduction of the self-registering instruments a good many
experiments had been made to obtain the most suitable light, and the
Report states that 'No change whatever has been made in these
instruments, except by the introduction of the light of coal-gas
charged with the vapour of coal-naptha, for photographic
self-registration both of the magnetic and of the meteorological
instruments.... The chemical treatment of the paper is now so well
understood by the Assistants that a failure is almost unknown. And,
generally speaking, the photographs are most beautiful, and give
conceptions of the continual disturbances in terrestrial magnetism
which it would be impossible to acquire from eye-observation.'
--Amongst the General Remarks of the Report it is stated
that 'There are two points which have distinctly engaged my
attention. The first of these is, the introduction of the American
method of observing transits, by completing a galvanic circuit by
means of a touch of the finger at the instant of appulse of the
transiting body to the wire of the instrument, which circuit will then
animate a magnet that will make an impression upon a moving
paper. After careful consideration of this method, I am inclined to
believe that, in Prof. Mitchell's form, it does possess the advantages
which have been ascribed to it, and that it may possess peculiar
advantages in this Observatory, where the time-connection of transits
made with two different instruments (the Transit and the Altazimuth)
is of the highest importance.... The second point is, the connection
of the Observatory with the galvanic telegraph of the South Eastern
Railway, and with other lines of galvanic wire with which that
telegraph communicates. I had formerly in mind only the connection of
this Observatory with different parts of the great British island: but
I now think it possible that our communications may be extended far
beyond its shores. The promoters of the submarine telegraph are very
confident of the practicability of completing a galvanic connection
between England and France: and I now begin to think it more than
possible that, within a few years, observations at Paris and Brussels
may be registered on the recording surfaces at Greenwich, and vice
versa.'--Prof. Hansen was engaged in forming Lunar Tables from his
Lunar Theory, but was stopped for want of money. On Mar. 7th I
represented this privately to Mr Baring, First Lord of the Admiralty;
and on Mar. 30th I wrote officially to the Admiralty, soliciting
_£150_ with the prospect, if necessary, of making it _£200_. On
Apr. 10th the Admiralty gave their assent. The existence of Hansen's
Lunar Tables is due to this grant.--The King of Denmark's Medal for
Comets was discontinued, owing to the difficulties produced by the
hostility of Prussia.--On Aug. 1st I gave to the Treasury my opinion
on the first proposal for a large reflector in Australia: it was not
strongly favourable.--In August, being (with my wife and Otto Struve)
on a visit to Lady Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle, I examined the
mountain Schehallien.--As in other years, I reported on several Papers
for the Royal Society, and took part in various business for them.--In
the Royal Astronomical Society I had much official business, as
President.--In March I communicated to the Athenaeum my views on the
Exodus of the Israelites: this brought me into correspondence with
Miss Corbaux, Robert Stephenson, Capt. Vetch, and Prof. J.D.
Forbes.--In December I went to the London Custom House, to
see Sir T. Freemantle (Chairman of Customs), and to see how far
decimal subdivisions were used in the Custom House."
Of private history: "From Mar. 19th to 22nd I was on an expedition to
Folkestone, Dover, Dungeness, &c.--From Apr. 3rd to 8th at Playford,
and again for short periods in June and July.--From Aug. 1st to
Sept. 5th I was travelling in Scotland with my wife and Otto Struve
(for part of the time). At Edinburgh I attended the Meeting of the
British Association, and spoke a little in Section A. I was nominated
President for 1851 at Ipswich. We travelled to Cape Wrath and returned
by Inverness and the Caledonian Canal.--I was at Playford for a short
time in October and December."
1851
"In this year the great shed was built (first erected on the Magnetic
Ground, and about the year 1868 transferred to the South Ground).--The
chronometers were taken from the old Chronometer Room (a room on the
upper story fronting the south, now, 1872, called Library 2) and were
put in the room above the Computing Room (where they remained for 10
or 12 years, I think): it had a chronometer-oven with gas-heat,
erected in 1850.--The following passage is quoted from the Report to
the Visitors:--'As regards Meridional Astronomy our equipment may now
be considered complete. As I have stated above, an improvement might
yet be made in our Transit Circle; nevertheless I do not hesitate to
express my belief that no other existing meridional instrument can be
compared with it. This presumed excellence has not been obtained
without much thought on my part and much anxiety on the part of the
constructors of the instrument (Messrs Ransomes and May, and Mr
Simms). But it would be very unjust to omit the further statement that
the expense of the construction has considerably exceeded the original
estimate, and that this excess has been most liberally defrayed by the
Government.'--In December Sir John Herschel gave his opinion (to the
Admiralty, I believe) in favour of procuring for the Cape Observatory
a Transit Circle similar to that at Greenwich.--I had much
correspondence about sending Pierce Morton (formerly a pupil of mine
at Cambridge, a clever gentlemanly man, and a high wrangler, but
somewhat flighty) as Magnetic Assistant to the Cape Observatory: he
was with me from May to October, and arrived at the Cape on
Nov. 27th.--I was much engaged with the clock with conical motion of
pendulum, for uniform movement of the Chronographic Barrel.--Regarding
galvanic communications: On Sept. 19th I had prepared a Draft of
Agreement with the South Eastern Railway Company, to which they
agreed. In November I wrote to Sir T. Baring (First Lord of the
Admiralty) and to the Admiralty for sanction, which was given on
Dec. 18th. In December I had various communications about laying wires
through the Park, &c., &c., and correspondence about the possibility
of using sympathetic clocks: in June, apparently, I had seen
Shepherd's sympathetic clock at the Great Exhibition, and had seen the
system of sympathetic clocks at Pawson's, St Paul's Churchyard.--In
the last quarter of this year I was engaged in a series of
calculations of chronological eclipses. On Sept. 30th Mr Bosanquet
wrote to me about the Eclipse of Thales, and I urged on the
computations related to it, through Mr Breen. In October the eclipse
of Agathocles (the critical eclipse for the motion of the Moon's node)
was going on. In October Hansteen referred me to the darkness at
Stiklastad.--I went to Sweden to observe the total eclipse of July
28th, having received assistance from the Admiralty for the journeys
of myself, Mr Dunkin, Mr Humphreys and his friend, and Capt.
Blackwood. I had prepared a map of its track, in which an
important error of the _Berliner Jahrbuch_ (arising from neglect of
the earth's oblateness) was corrected. I gave a lecture at the Royal
Institution, in preparation for the eclipse, and drew up suggestions
for observations, and I prepared a scheme of observations for
Greenwich, but the weather was bad. The official account of the
Observations of the Eclipse, with diagrams and conclusions, is given
in full in a paper published in the Royal Astr. Society's
Memoirs.--This year I was President of the British Association, at the
Ipswich Meeting: it necessarily produced a great deal of business. I
lectured one evening on the coming eclipse. Prince Albert was present,
as guest of Sir William Middleton: I was engaged to meet him at
dinner, but when I found that the dinner day was one of the principal
soirée days, I broke off the engagement.--On May 26th I had the first
letter from E. Hamilton (whom I had known at Cambridge) regarding the
selection of professors for the University of Sydney. Herschel,
Maldon, and H. Denison were named as my coadjutors. Plenty of work
was done, but it was not finished till 1852.--In connection with the
clock for Westminster Palace, in February there were considerations
about providing other clocks for the various buildings; and this
probably was one reason for my examining Shepherd's Clocks at the
Great Exhibition and at Pawson's. In November I first proposed that
Mr E.B. Denison should be associated with me. About the end of the
year, the plan of the tower was supplied to me, with reference to the
suspension of the weights and other particulars.--In 1850 Admiral
Dundas (M.P. for Greenwich and one of the Board of Admiralty) had
requested me to aid the Trustees of the Dee Navigation against an
attack; and on Mar. 19th 1851 I went to Chester to see the state of
the river. On Jan. 1st 1852 I went to give evidence at the Official
Enquiry.--At a discussion on the construction of the Great Exhibition
building in the Institution of Civil Engineers, I expressed myself
strongly on the faulty principles of its construction.--In this year I
wrote my first Paper on the landing of Julius Caesar in Britain, and
was engaged in investigations of the geography, tides, sands, &c.,
relating to the subject."
Of private history: "I was several times at Playford during January,
and went there again on Dec. 23rd.--In this year a very heavy
misfortune fell on us. My daughter, Elizabeth, had been on a visit to
Lady Herschel at Hawkhurst, and on Apr. 2nd Sir J. Herschel wrote to
me, saying that she was so well in health. She returned a few days
later, and from her appearance I was sure that she was suffering under
deadly disease. After some time, an able physician was consulted, who
at once pronounced it to be pulmonary. A sea voyage was thought
desirable, and my wife took her to Shetland, where there was again a
kind welcome from Mr Edmonston. But this, and the care taken on her
return, availed nothing: and it was determined to take her to
Madeira. My wife and daughter sailed in the brig 'Eclipse' from
Southampton on Dec. 11th. The termination came in 1852.--On Nov. 23rd
I went to Bradfield, near Bury: my uncle, George Biddell, died, and I
attended the funeral on Nov. 29th.--From July 18th to Aug. 24th I was
in Sweden for the Observation of the Eclipse, and returned through
Holland.--In October I was about a week at Ventnor and Torquay, and
from Dec. 7th to 11th at Southampton, on matters connected with my
daughter's illness."
The following extracts are from letters to his wife, relating to the
Observation of the eclipse, his interview with the King of Sweden,
&c., and his visit to the pumping engines at Haarlem:
_July 28, half-past 10, morning_.
The weather is at present most perfectly doubtful. Nearly the whole
sky is closely covered, yet there is now and then a momentary gleam of
sun. The chances are greatly against much of the eclipse being
seen. All is arranged to carry off the telescope, &c., at 11: they can
be carted to the foot of the hill, and we have made out a walking-pass
then to the top. We are to dine with Mr Dickson afterwards.
_July 28, 10 at night_.
Well we have had a glorious day. As soon as we started, the weather
began to look better. We went up the hill and planted my telescope,
and the sky shewed a large proportion of blue. At first I placed the
telescope on the highest rock, but the wind blew almost a gale, and
shook it slightly: so I descended about 8 feet to one side. (The power
of doing this was one of the elements in my choice of this station,
which made me prefer it to the high hill beyond the river.) The view
of scenery was inexpressibly beautiful. The beginning of eclipse was
well seen. The sky gradually thickened from that time, so that the sun
was in whitish cloud at the totality, and barely visible in dense
cloud at the end of the eclipse. The progress of the eclipse brought
on the wonderful changes that you know: just before the totality I saw
a large piece of blue sky become pitch black; the horror of totality
was very great; and then flashed into existence (I do not know how) a
broad irregular corona with red flames _instantly seen_ of the most
fantastic kind. The darkness was such that my assistant had very great
trouble in reading his box chronometer. (A free-hand explanatory
diagram is here given.) Some important points are made out from
this. 1st the red flames certainly belong to the sun. 2nd they
certainly are in some instances detached. 3rd they are sometimes quite
crooked. 4th they seem to be connected with spots. The corona was
brilliant white. One star brilliant: I believe Venus. I had no time to
make observations of polarization, &c., although prepared. When the
totality was more than half over I looked to N. and N.W., and in these
regions there was the fullest rosy day-break light. After the
sun-light reappeared, the black shadow went travelling away to the
S.E. exactly like the thunder-storm from the Main. The day then grew
worse, and we came home here (after dinner) in pouring rain.
STOCKHOLM,
_1851, Aug. 5_.
I then by appointment with Sir Edmund Lyons went with him to the
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Baron Stjerneld, who received me most
civilly. My business was to thank him for the orders which had been
given to facilitate the landing of our telescopes, &c., &c. He was
quite familiar with the names of my party, Humphreys Milaud, &c., so
that I trust they have been well received (I have had no letter). He
intimated, I suppose at Sir E. Lyons's suggestion, that perhaps King
Oscar might wish to see me, but that it would not be on Tuesday. So I
replied that I was infinitely flattered and he said that he would send
a message to Sir E. Lyons by Tuesday evening. Now all this put me in a
quandary: because I wanted to see Upsala, 47 miles off: and the
steamboats on the Mälar only go in the morning and return in the
morning: and this was irreconcileable with waiting for his Majesty's
appointment which might be for Wednesday morning. So after
consultation Sir E. Lyons put me in the hands of a sort of courier
attached to the Embassy, and he procured a calèche, and I posted to
Upsala yesterday afternoon (knocking the people up at 11 at night) and
posted back this afternoon. And sure enough a message has come that
the king expects me at 11 to-morrow morning. Posting of course is much
dearer than steam-boat travelling, but it is cheap in comparison with
England: two horses cost 1s. for nearly 7 miles. At Upsala there is a
very good old cathedral, I suppose the only one in Sweden: and many
things about the University which interested me. I sent my card to
Professor Fries, and he entirely devoted himself to me: but imagine
our conversation--he spoke in _Latin_ and I in French: however we
understood each other very well. It is on the whole a dreary country
except where enlivened by lakes: some parts are pine forests and birch
forests, but others are featureless ground with boulder stones, like
the worst part of the Highlands.
_August 6, Wednesday, 3 o'clock_.
I rigged myself in black trowsers and white waistcoat and neckcloth
this morning. Sir Edmund Lyons called. Baron Wrede called on me: he
had observed the Eclipse at Calmar and brought his drawing, much like
mine. He conducted me to the Palace. The Minister for Foreign Affairs
came to me. In the waiting-room I was introduced to the
Lieutenant-Governor of Christianstad, who had had the charge of
Humphreys and Milaud. He had placed a _guard of soldiers_ round them
while they were observing. They saw the eclipse well. Captain
Blackwood went to Helsingborg instead of Bornholm, and saw well. I am
sorry to hear that it was cloudy at Christiania, Mr Dunkin's
station. I heard some days ago that Hind had lost his telescope, but I
now heard a very different story: that he landed at Ystad, and found a
very bad hotel there: that he learnt from Murray that the hotels at
Carlscrona (or wherever he meant to go) were much worse; and so he
grew faint at heart and turned back. I was summoned in to the King
and presented by the Minister (Stjerneld), and had a long conversation
with him: on the eclipse, the arc of meridian, the languages, and the
Universities. We spoke in French. Then Baron Wrede went with me to the
Rittershus (House of Lords or Nobles) in Session, and to the Gallery
of Scandinavian Antiquities, which is very remarkable: the collection
of stone axes and chisels, bronze do., iron do., ornaments, &c. is
quite amazing. I was struck with seeing specimens from a very distant
age of the Maid of Norway's brooch: the use of which I explained to
the Director.
I dined and drove out with Sir E. Lyons, and called at the houses of
the Baron Stjerneld and of the Norwegian Minister Baron Duë, and had
tea at the latter. Most of these people speak English well, and they
seem to live in a very domestic family style. I should soon be quite
at home here: for I perceive that my reception at Court, &c., make
people think that I am a very proper sort of person.
* * * * *
The extract concerning his visit to the Pumping-Engines at Haarlem is
as follows:
LEYDEN,
_1851, August 20, Wednesday_.
I went to see the great North Holland Canal, and went a mile or two in
a horse-drawn-boat upon it: a very comfortable conveyance. Saw
windmills used for sawing timber and other purposes, as well as some
for grinding and many for draining. Yesterday at half-past one I went
by railway to Haarlem. I did not look at anything in the town except
going through it and seeing that it is a curious fantastic place, but
I drove at once to the burgomaster to ask permission to visit one of
the three great pumping engines for draining the immense Haarlem lake,
and then drove to it. Imagine a round tower with a steam-cylinder in
its center; and the piston which works up-and-down, instead of working
one great beam as they usually do, works _eight_, poking out on
different sides of the round tower, and each driving a pump 6 feet in
diameter. I am glad to have seen it. Then by railway here.
* * * * *
1852
"Galvanic communication was now established with Lewisham station
(thus giving power of communicating with London, Deal, &c.).--From the
Report to the Board of Visitors it appears that, in the case of the
Transit Circle, the azimuth of the Instrument as determined by
opposite passages of the Pole Star had varied four seconds; and in the
case of the Altazimuth, there was a discordance in the azimuthal zeros
of the Instrument, as determined from observations of stars. In both
cases it was concluded that the discordances arose from small
movements of the ground.--Under the head of 'General Remarks' in the
Report, the following paragraph occurs: 'It will be perceived that the
number of equatoreal observations made here at present is small: and
that they are rarely directed to new comets and similar objects which
sometimes excite considerable interest. This omission is
intentional. It is not because the instrumental means are wanting (for
our Equatoreals, though not comparable to those of either Cambridge,
or of Pulkowa, are fully equal to those usually directed to such
objects), but it is because these observations are most abundantly
supplied from other observatories, public and private, and because the
gain to those observations from our taking a part in them would,
probably, be far less than the loss to the important class of
observations which we can otherwise follow so well. Moreover, I am
unwilling to take any step which could be interpreted as attempting to
deprive the local and private observatories of honours which they have
so nobly earned. And, finally, in this act of abstinence, I am
desirous of giving an example of adhesion to one principle which, I am
confident, might be extensively followed with great advantage to
astronomy:--the principle of division of labour.'--Discoveries of
small planets were now not infrequent: but the only one of interest to
me is Melpomene, for the following reason. On 1852 June 24 I lost my
most dear, amiable, clever daughter Elizabeth: she died at
Southampton, two days after landing from Madeira. On that evening Mr
Hind discovered the planet; and he requested me to give a name. I
remembered Horace's 'Praecipe lugubres cantus, Melpomene,' and
Cowley's 'I called the buskin'd muse Melpomene and told her what sad
story I would write,' and suggested Melpomene, or Penthos: Melpomene
was adopted.--The first move about the Deal Time Ball was in a letter
from Commander Baldock to the Admiralty, suggesting that a Time Ball,
dropped by galvanic current from Greenwich, should be attached to one
of the South Foreland Lighthouses. The Admiralty sent this for my
Report. I went to the place, and I suggested in reply (Nov. 15th) that
a better place would be at an old signal station on the chalk
downs. The decisive change from this was made in 1853.--As the result
of my examination and enquiries into the subject of sympathetic
clocks, I established 8 sympathetic clocks in the Royal Observatory,
one of which outside the entrance gate had a large dial with
Shepherd's name as Patentee. Exception was taken to this by the
solicitor of a Mr Bain who had busied himself about galvanic
clocks. After much correspondence I agreed to remove Shepherd's name
till Bain had legally established his claim. This however was never
done: and in 1853 Shepherd's name was restored.--In Nov. 1851,
Denison had consented to join me in the preparation of the Westminster
Clock. In Feb. 1852 we began to have little disagreements. However on
Apr. 6th I was going to Madeira, and requested him to act with full
powers from me.--I communicated to the Royal Society my Paper on the
Eclipses of Agathocles, Thales, and Xerxes.--In the British
Association, I had presided at the Ipswich Meeting in 1851, and
according to custom I ought to attend at the 1852 Meeting (held at
Belfast) to resign my office. But I was broken in spirit by the death
of my daughter, and the thing generally was beyond my willing
enterprise. I requested Sir Roderick Murchison to act generally for
me: which he did, as I understood, very gracefully.--In this year a
proposal was made by the Government for shifting all the Meeting Rooms
of the Scientific Societies to Kensington Gore, which was stoutly
resisted by all, and was finally abandoned."
Of private history: "I was at Playford in January, and went thence to
Chester on the enquiry about the tides of the Dee; and made excursions
to Halton Castle and to Holyhead.--From Apr. 8th to May 14th I was on
the voyage to and from Madeira, and on a short visit to my wife and
daughter there.--On June 23rd I went to Southampton to meet my wife
and daughter just landed from Madeira: on June 24th my dear daughter
Elizabeth died: she was buried at Playford on June 29th.--I was at
Playford also in July and December.--From Sept. 16th to 24th I went to
Cumberland, viâ Fleetwood and Peel."
1853
"On May 3rd 1853 I issued an address to the individual Members of the
Board of Visitors, proposing the extension of the Lunar Reductions
from 1830. From this it appears that 'Through the whole period (from
1830 to 1853), the places of the Moon, deduced from the observations,
are compared with the places computed in the Nautical Almanac: that
is, with Burckhardt's tables, which have been used for many years in
computing the places of the Nautical Almanac.......Very lately,
however, Mr Adams has shewn that Burckhardt's Parallax is erroneous in
formula and is numerically incorrect, sometimes to the amount of seven
seconds. In consequence of this, every reduction of the Observations
of the Moon, from 1830 to the present time, is sensibly erroneous. And
the error is of such a nature that it is not easy, in general, to
introduce its correction by any simple process.... The number of
observations to the end of 1851 (after which time the parallax will be
corrected in the current reductions) is about 2560. An expense
approaching to _£400_ might be incurred in their reduction.'
Subsequently I made application to the Admiralty, and the _£400_ was
granted on Dec. 12th.--In the Report to the Visitors it is stated that
with regard to the Transit Circle, changes are under contemplation in
its reflection-apparatus: one of these changes relates to the material
of the trough. 'Several years ago, when I was at Hamburgh, my revered
friend Prof. Schumacher exhibited to me the pacifying effect of a
copper dish whose surface had been previously amalgamated with
quicksilver.......The Rev. Charles Pritchard has lately given much
attention to this curious property of the metals, and has brought the
practical operation of amalgamation to great perfection. Still it is
not without difficulty, on account of a singular crystallization of
the amalgam.'--With regard to the Chronograph, the Report states: 'The
Barrel Apparatus for the American method of observing transits is not
yet brought into use.... I have, however, brought it to such a state
that I am beginning to try whether the Barrel moves with sufficient
uniformity to be itself used as the Transit Clock. This, if perfectly
secured, would be a very great convenience, but I am not very sanguine
on that point.'--A change had been made in the Electrometer-apparatus:
'A wire for the collection of atmospheric electricity is now stretched
from a chimney on the north-west angle of the leads of the Octagon
Room to the Electrometer pole.... There appears to be no doubt that a
greater amount of electricity is collected by this apparatus than by
that formerly in use.'--As regards the Magnetical Observations: 'The
Visitors at their last Meeting, expressed a wish that some attempt
should be made to proceed further in the reduction or digest of the
magnetical results, if any satisfactory plan could be devised. I
cannot say that I have yet satisfied myself on the propriety of any
special plan that I have examined.... I must, however, confess that,
in viewing the capricious forms of the photographic curves, my mind is
entirely bewildered, and I sometimes doubt the possibility of
extracting from them anything whatever which can be considered
trustworthy.'--Great progress had been made with the distribution of
time. 'The same Normal Clock maintains in sympathetic movement the
large clock at the entrance gate, two other clocks in the Observatory,
and a clock at the London Bridge Terminus of the South-Eastern
Railway.... It sends galvanic signals every day along all the
principal railways diverging from London. It drops the Greenwich Ball,
and the Ball on the Offices of the Electric Telegraph Company in the
Strand;... All these various effects are produced without sensible
error of time; and I cannot but feel a satisfaction in thinking that
the Royal Observatory is thus quietly contributing to the punctuality
of business through a large portion of this busy country. I have the
satisfaction of stating to the Visitors that the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty have decided on the erection of a Time-Signal Ball at
Deal, for the use of the shipping in the Downs, to be dropped every
day by a galvanic current from the Royal Observatory. The construction
of the apparatus is entrusted to me. Probably there is no roadstead in
the world in which the knowledge of true time is so important.'--The
Report includes an account of the determination of the Longitude of
Cambridge Observatory by means of galvanic signals, which appear to
have been perfectly successful.--Under the head of General Remarks the
following passage appears: 'The system of combining the labour of
unattached computers with that of attached Assistants tends materially
to strengthen our powers in everything relating to computation. We
find also, among the young persons who are engaged merely to serve as
computers, a most laudable ambition to distinguish themselves as
observers; and thus we are always prepared to undertake any
observations which may be required, although necessarily by an
expenditure of strength which would usually be employed on some other
work.'--Considerable work was undertaken in preparing a new set of
maps of our buildings and grounds.--On Apr. 23rd there was a small
fire in the magnetic observatory, which did little mischief.--In
December I wrote my description of the Transit Circle.--Lieut.
Stratford, the Editor of the Nautical Almanac, died, and
there was some competition for the office. I was willing to take
it at a low rate, for the addition to my salary: Mr Main--and I think
Mr Glaisher--were desirous of exchanging to it: Prof. Adams was
anxious for it. The Admiralty made the excellent choice of Mr
Hind.--In October Faraday and I, at Lothbury, witnessed some
remarkable experiments by Mr Latimer Clark on a galvanic current
carried four times to and from Manchester by subterranean wires (more
than 2000 miles) shewing the retardation of visible currents (at their
maximum effect) and the concentration of active power. I made
investigations of the velocity of the Galvanic Current.--I was engaged
on the preliminary enquiries and arrangements for the Deal Time
Ball.--With respect to the Westminster Clock; an angry paper was
issued by Mr Vulliamy. In October I expostulated with Denison about
his conduct towards Sir Charles Barry: on November 7th I resigned.--On
Feb. 11th I was elected President of the Royal Astronomical
Society.--In the Royal Institution I lectured on the Ancient
Eclipses.--On Dec. 15th I was elected to the Academy of
Brussels.--After preliminary correspondence with Sir W. Molesworth
(First Commissioner of Works, &c.) and Sir Charles Barry (Architect of
the Westminster Palace), I wrote, on May 14th, to Mr Gladstone about
depositing the four Parliamentary Copies of Standards, at the Royal
Observatory, the Royal Mint, the Royal Society, and within a wall of
Westminster Palace. Mr Gladstone assented on June 23rd.--On Mar. 26th
I wrote to Mr Gladstone, proposing to take advantage of the new copper
coinage for introducing the decimal system. I was always strenuous
about preserving the Pound Sterling. On May 10th I attended the
Committee of the House of Commons on decimal coinage: and in May and
September I wrote letters to the Athenaeum on decimal coinage.--I had
always something on hand about Tides. A special subject now was, the
cry about intercepting the tidal waters of the Tyne by the formation
of the Jarrow Docks, in Jarrow Slake; which fear I considered to be
ridiculous."
Of private history: "From Jan. 15th to 24th I was at Playford.--On
Mar. 4th I went to Dover to try time-signals.--From June 24th to
Aug. 6th I was at Little Braithwaite near Keswick, where I had hired a
house, and made expeditions with members of my family in all
directions. On July 28th I went, with my son Wilfrid, by Workington
and Maryport to Rose Castle, the residence of Bishop Percy (the Bishop
of Carlisle), and on to Carlisle and Newcastle, looking at various
works, mines, &c.--On Dec. 24th I went to Playford."
1854
The chronograph Barrel-Apparatus for the American method of transits
had been practically brought into use: "I have only to add that this
apparatus is now generally efficient. It is troublesome in use;
consuming much time in the galvanic preparations, the preparation of
the paper, and the translation of the puncture-indications into
figures. But among the observers who use it there is but one opinion
on its astronomical merits--that, in freedom from personal equation
and in general accuracy, it is very far superior to the observations
by eye and ear."--The printing and publication of the Observations,
which was always regarded by Airy as a matter of the first importance,
had fallen into arrear: "I stated in my last Report that the printing
of the Observations for 1852 was scarcely commenced at the time of the
last meeting of the Visitors. For a long time the printing went on so
slowly that I almost despaired of ever again seeing the Observations
in a creditable state. After a most harassing correspondence, the
printers were at length persuaded to move more actively, ... but the
volume is still very much behind its usual time of publication."--"The
Deal Time-Ball has now been erected by Messrs Maudslays and Field, and
is an admirable specimen of the workmanship of those celebrated
engineers. The galvanic connection with the Royal Observatory (through
the telegraph wires of the South Eastern Railway) is perfect. The
automatic changes of wire-communications are so arranged that, when
the Ball at Deal has dropped to its lowest point, it sends a message
to Greenwich to acquaint me, not with the time of the beginning of its
fall (which cannot be in error) but with the fact that it has really
fallen. The Ball has several times been dropped experimentally with
perfect success; and some small official and subsidiary arrangements
alone are wanting for bringing it into constant use."--The operations
for the galvanic determination of the longitude of Brussels are
described, with the following conclusion: "Thus, about 3000 effective
signals were made, but only 1000 of these were admissible for the
fundamental objects of the operation. The result, I need scarcely
remark, claims a degree of accuracy to which no preceding
determination of longitude could ever pretend. I apprehend that the
probable error in the difference of time corresponds to not more than
one or two yards upon the Earth's surface.--A careful scheme had been
arranged for the determination of the longitude of Lerwick, but
'unfortunately, the demand for chronometers caused by our large naval
armament has been so considerable that I cannot reckon on having at my
disposal a sufficient number to carry on this operation successfully;
and I have, therefore, unwillingly deferred it to a more peaceful
time.'--The covering stone of Halley's Tomb in Lee Churchyard was much
shattered, and I applied to the Admiralty for funds for its complete
restoration: these were granted on Feb. 3rd.--In this year, under my
cognizance, _£100_ was added to the Hansen grant.--I had much
correspondence and work in connection with the printing of Maclear's
work at the Cape of Good Hope. In June, all accounts, &c. about the
Transit Circle were closed at the Admiralty, and the instrument was
completely mounted at the Cape.--Dr Scoresby (who in his own way was
very imperious) had attacked my methods of correcting the compass in
iron ships: I replied in a letter to the Athenaeum on Oct. 17th.--I
made enquiries about operations for determining the longitude of
Vienna, but was utterly repelled by the foreign telegraph offices.--In
the Royal Astronomical Society; I prepared the Address on presenting
the Medal to Rümker.--In Melbourne University: The first letter
received was from the Chancellor of the University dated Jan. 26th,
requesting that Sir John Herschel, Prof. Malden, Mr Lowe
(subsequently Chancellor of the Exchequer), and I would select
professors. We had a great deal of correspondence, meetings,
examination of testimonials, &c., and on August 14th we agreed on
Wilson, Rowe, McCoy, and Hearn.--On Feb. 17th I received the Prussian
Order of Merit.--I had correspondence with the Treasury on the scale
to be adopted for the Maps of the British Survey. I proposed 1/3000,
and for some purposes 1/600.--I printed a Paper on the Deluge, in
which I shewed (I believe to certainty) that the Deluge of Genesis was
merely a Destructive Flood of the Nile.--Being well acquainted with
the mountains of Cumberland, I had remarked that a 'man' or cairn of
stones erected by the Ordnance Surveyors on the Great Gable had
covered up a curious natural stone trough, known as one of the
remarkable singularities of the country. This year, without giving any
notice to the Ordnance Surveyors, I sent two wallers from Borrowdale
to the mountain top, to remove the 'man' about 10 feet and expose the
trough. Sir Henry James afterwards approved of my act, and refunded
the expense.--I investigated the optical condition of an eye with
conical cornea.
"The Harton Colliery Experiment: I had long wished to repeat the
experiment which I had attempted unsuccessfully in 1826 and 1828, of
determining by pendulum-vibrations the measure of gravity at the
bottom of a mine. Residing near Keswick this summer, and having the
matter in my mind, I availed myself of an introduction from Dr Leitch
to some gentlemen at South Shields, for inspection of the Harton
Colliery. I judged that it would answer pretty well. I find that on
Aug. 11th I wrote to Mr Anderson (lessee of the mine), and on the same
day to the Admiralty requesting authority to employ a Greenwich
Assistant, and requesting _£100_ for part payment of expenses. On
August 16th the Admiralty assent. There were many preparations to be
made, both personal and instrumental. My party consisted of Dunkin
(Superintendant), Ellis, Criswick, Simmons, Pogson, and Rümker: I did
not myself attend the detail of observations. The observations began
on Oct. 2nd and ended on Oct. 21st: supplementary observations were
subsequently made at Greenwich for examining the coefficient of
temperature-correction. On Oct. 24th I gave a Lecture at South Shields
on the whole operation. In 'Punch' of Nov. 18th there was an excellent
semi-comic account of the experiment, which as I afterwards found was
written by Mr Percival Leigh."
Of private history: "On Jan. 18th I returned from Playford. From
Mar. 10th to 13th I was at Deal, and visited Sir John Herschel at
Hawkhurst.--From June 28th to Aug. 7th I was staying with my family at
The Grange, in Borrowdale near Keswick: and also made an expedition to
Penrith, Carlisle, Newcastle, Jarrow, &c.; and descended the Harton
Pit.--In September and also in October I was at South Shields on the
Harton Experiments.--From Dec. 14th to 18th I was at Cambridge, and on
the 26th I went to Playford."
The following letter, written in answer to a lady who had asked him to
procure permission from Lord Rosse for her to observe with his
telescope, is characteristic:
ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH.
_1854, September 20_.
DEAR MADAM,
The state of things with regard to Lord Rosse's Telescope is this. If
a night is fine, it is wanted for his use or for the use of
professional astronomers. If it is not fine, it is of no use to
anybody. Now considering this, and considering that the appropriation
of the telescope on a fine night to any body but a technical
astronomer is a misapplication of an enormous capital of money and
intellect which is invested in this unique instrument--it is against
my conscience to ask Lord Rosse to place it at the service of any
person except an experienced astronomer. No introduction, I believe,
is necessary for seeing it in the day-time. The instrument stands
unenclosed in the Castle Demesne, to which strangers are admitted
without question, I believe...............
Faithfully yours,
G.B. AIRY.
1855
"On May 9th it was notified to me (I think through the Hydrographer)
that the Admiralty were not unwilling to increase my salary. I made
application therefore; and on Jan. 21st 1856 Sir Charles Wood notified
to me that the Admiralty consented to have it raised from _£800_ to
_£1000_.--In the Report to the Board of Visitors it appears that 'At
the instance of the Board of Trade, acting on this occasion through a
Committee of the Royal Society, a model of the Transit Circle (with
the improvement of perforated cube, &c. introduced in the Cape
Transit Circle) has been prepared for the Great Exhibition at
Paris.'--Under the head of Reduction of Astronomical Observations it
is stated that 'During the whole time of which I have spoken, the
galvanic-contact method has been employed for transits, with the
exception of a few days, when the galvanic apparatus was out of order.
From the clock errors, I have deduced the personal equations of the
observers in our usual way.... The result is that the magnitude of the
personal equations in the galvanic-touch method is not above half of
that in the eye and ear method.'--With regard to the Reduction of the
Magnetical Observations, 'I have not yet felt sufficiently satisfied
with any proposed method of discussing the magnetic results to devote
any time to their further treatment.'--'The Time-Signal Ball at Deal
was brought into regular use at the beginning of the present year. In
a short time, however, its action was interrupted, partly by
derangement of the apparatus, and partly by the severity of the
weather, which froze the sulphuric acid to the state of jelly. I sent
an assistant and workman to put it in order, and since that time it
has generally acted very well.--Application has been made to me from
one of the important offices of Government (the Post Office) for the
galvanic regulation of their clocks.--On considering the risks to
which various galvanic communications are liable, and the financial
necessity for occupying wires as little as possible, I perceived that
it was necessary to devise constructions which should satisfy the
following conditions. First, that a current sent once a day should
suffice for adjusting the clock, even if it had gone ten or more
seconds wrong. Secondly, that an occasional failure of the current
should not stop the clock. I have arranged constructions which possess
these characters, and the artist (Mr C. Shepherd) is now engaged in
preparing estimates of the expense. I think it likely that this may
prove to be the beginning of a very extensive system of clock
regulation."--With respect to the operations for determining the
longitude of Paris, it is stated that, "The whole number of days of
signal transmission was eighteen, and the whole number of signals
transmitted was 2530. The number of days considered available for
longitude, in consequence of transits of stars having been observed at
both Observatories, was twelve, and the number of signals was
1703. Very great care was taken on both sides, for the adjustments of
the instruments. The resulting difference of longitude, 9m. 20.63s.,
is probably very accurate. It is less by nearly 1s. of time than that
determined in 1825 by rocket-signals, under the superintendance of Sir
John Herschel and Col. Sabine. The time occupied by the passage of the
galvanic current appears to be 1/12th of a second."--With regard to
the Pendulum Experiments in the Harton Colliery, after mentioning that
personal assistance had been sought and obtained from the
Observatories of Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, and Red Hill, the Report
states that "The experiments appear to have been in every point
successful, shewing beyond doubt that gravity is increased at the
depth of 1260 feet by 1/10000th part. I trust that this combination
may prove a valuable precedent for future associations of the
different Observatories of the kingdom, when objects requiring
extensive personal organization shall present themselves."--On
Oct. 18th the Astronomer Royal printed an Address to the Individual
Members of the Board of Visitors on the subject of a large new
Equatoreal for the Observatory. After a brief statement of the
existing equipment of the Observatory in respect of equatoreal
instruments, the Address continues thus: "It is known to the Visitors
that I have uniformly objected to any luxury of extrameridional
apparatus, which would materially divert us from a steady adherence to
the meridional system which both reason and tradition have engrafted
on this Observatory. But I feel that our present instruments are
insufficient even for my wishes; and I cannot overlook the
consideration that due provision must be made for future interests,
and that we are nearer by twenty years to the time when another
judgment must decide on the direction which shall be given to the
force of the Observatory."--"In August I had some correspondence about
the Egyptian wooden astronomical tablets with Mr Gresswell and others:
they were fully examined by Mr Ellis.--In this year I was much engaged
on schemes for compasses, and in June I sent my Paper on Discussions
of Ships' Magnetism to the Royal Society.--On Dec. 6th the mast of the
Observatory time-ball broke, and the Ball fell in the Front Court.--On
Aug. 4th my valued friend Mr Sheepshanks died; and on Aug. 14th I went
to London to see the Standard Bars as left by him. Afterwards, on
Oct. 25th I went to Reading to collect the papers about Standards left
by Mr Sheepshanks.--I made a mechanical construction for Euclid I. 47,
with which I was well satisfied.--On Apr. 13th I joined a deputation
to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir G. Cornewall Lewis) on Decimal
Coinage."
Of private history: "I was at Playford for a large part of
January.--On Mar, 26th I went to Reading, to visit Mr Sheepshanks, and
afterwards to Silchester and Hereford.--On June 21st I went with my
wife and two eldest sons to Edinburgh and other places in Scotland,
but residing principally at Oban, where I hired a house. Amongst other
expeditions, I and my son Wilfrid went with the 'Pharos' (Northern
Lights Steamer) to the Skerry Vohr Lighthouse, &c. I also visited
Newcastle, &c., and returned to Greenwich on Aug. 2nd.--From Oct. 12th
to 17th I was at Cambridge.--On Dec. 24th I went to Playford."