AT THE WHITE HOUSE, GREENWICH. FROM HIS RESIGNATION
OF OFFICE ON AUGUST 15TH, 1881, TO HIS
DEATH ON JANUARY 2ND, 1892.
HISTORY OF HIS LIFE AFTER HIS RESIGNATION OF
OFFICE.
On the 16th of August 1881 Airy left the Observatory which had been
his residence for nearly 46 years, and removed to the White
House. Whatever his feelings may have been at the severing of his old
associations he carefully kept them to himself, and entered upon his
new life with the cheerful composure and steadiness of temper which he
possessed in a remarkable degree. He was now more than 80 years old,
and the cares of office had begun to weigh heavily upon him: the
long-continued drag of the Transit of Venus work had wearied him, and
he was anxious to carry on and if possible complete his Numerical
Lunar Theory, the great work which for some years had occupied much of
his time and attention. His mental powers were still vigorous, and his
energy but little impaired: his strong constitution, his regular
habits of life, the systematic relief which he obtained by short
holiday expeditions whenever he found himself worn with work, and his
keen interest in history, poetry, classics, antiquities, engineering,
and other subjects not immediately connected with his profession, had
combined to produce this result. And in leaving office, he had no idea
of leaving off work; his resignation of office merely meant for him a
change of work. It is needless to say that his interest in the welfare
and progress of the Observatory was as keen as ever; his advice was
always at the service of his successor, and his appointment as Visitor
a year or two after his resignation gave him an official position with
regard to the Observatory which he much valued. The White House, which
was to be his home for the rest of his life, is just outside one of
the upper gates of the Park, and about a quarter of a mile from the
Observatory. Here he resided with his two unmarried daughters. The
house suited him well and he was very comfortable there: he preferred
to live in the neighbourhood with which he was so familiar and in
which he was so well known, rather than to remove to a distance. His
daily habits of life were but little altered: he worked steadily as
formerly, took his daily walk on Blackheath, made frequent visits to
Playford, and occasional expeditions to the Cumberland Lakes and
elsewhere.
The work to which he chiefly devoted himself in his retirement was the
completion of his Numerical Lunar Theory. This was a vast work,
involving the subtlest considerations of principle, very long and
elaborate mathematical investigations of a high order, and an enormous
amount of arithmetical computation. The issue of it was unfortunate:
he concluded that there was an error in some of the early work, which
vitiated the results obtained: and although the whole process was
published, and was left in such a state that it would be a
comparatively simple task for a future astronomer to correct and
complete it, yet it was not permitted to the original author of it to
do this. To avoid the necessity of frequent reference to this work in
the history of Airy's remaining years, it will be convenient to
summarize it here. It was commenced in 1872: "On Feb. 23rd in this
year I first (privately) formed the notion of preparing a Numerical
Lunar Theory by substituting Delaunay's numbers in the proper
Equations and seeing what would come of it." From this time forward
till his power to continue it absolutely failed, he pursued the
subject with his usual tenacity of purpose. During his tenure of
office every available opportunity was seized for making progress with
his Lunar Theory, and in every Report to the Visitors a careful
statement was inserted of the state in which it then stood. And, after
his resignation of office, it formed the bulk of his occupation. In
1873 the Theory was formed, and by 1874 it was so far advanced that he
published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society a
statement of the fundamental points of the Theory. In 1875, the
Theory having advanced to a stage where extensive arithmetical
computation was required, he obtained a small grant from the
Government in aid of the expense of the work, and other grants were
made in subsequent years. By 1878 the calculations were so far
advanced that an opinion could be formed as to the probable accuracy
of the Theory, and the following remark is made: "A cursory collation
of the terms relating to the Areas (in the Ecliptic) led me to suppose
that there might be some error in the computations of the Annual
Equation and related terms;" but no error could be discovered and the
work proceeded. The complex character of the Theory, and the extreme
care required in the mathematical processes, are well illustrated by
the following statement, which occurs in the Report of 1879, "An
important error in the theoretical formulae for Variations of Radius
Vector, Longitude, and Latitude, was discovered; some calculations
depending on them are cancelled." In 1880 and 1881 the work was
continued, but was "sadly interrupted by the pressure of the Transit
of Venus work and other business." After his resignation of the Office
of Astronomer Royal he had no further public assistance, and did much
of the computations himself, but a sum of _£100_ was contributed by Mr
De La Rue in furtherance of the work, and this sum was spent on
computers. In his retirement the work made good progress, and on
Dec. 31st, 1882, he made the following note: "I finished and put in
general order the final tables of Equations of Variations. This is a
definite point in the Lunar Theory.... I hope shortly to take up
severely the numerical operations of the Lunar Theory from the very
beginning." The work was continued steadily through 1883, and on
Mar. 24th, 1884, he made application through the Board of Visitors to
the Admiralty to print the work: after the usual enquiries as to the
expense this was acceded to, and copy was sent to the printers as soon
as it was ready. The first printed proofs were received on Feb. 5th,
1885, and the whole book was printed by the end of 1886. From the
frequent references in his journal to errors discovered and corrected
during the progress of these calculations, it would seem likely that
his powers were not what they had been, and that there was a
probability that some important errors might escape correction. He
was far too honest to blind himself to this possibility, and in the
Preface to his Numerical Lunar Theory he says thus: "I have explained
above that the principle of operations was, to arrange the fundamental
mechanical equations in a form suited for the investigations of Lunar
Theory; to substitute in the terms of these equations the numerical
values furnished by Delaunay's great work; and to examine whether the
equations are thereby satisfied. With painful alarm, I find that they
are not satisfied; and that the discordance, or failure of satisfying
the equations, is large. The critical trial depends on the great mass
of computations in Section II. These have been made in duplicate, with
all the care for accuracy that anxiety could supply. Still I cannot
but fear that the error which is the source of discordance must be on
my part. I cannot conjecture whether I may be able to examine
sufficiently into this matter." He resolutely took in hand the
revision of his work, and continued it till October 1888. But it is
clear from the entries in his journal that his powers were now unequal
to the task, and although from time to time he suspected that he had
discovered errors, yet it does not appear that he determined anything
with certainty. He never doubted that there were important errors in
the work, and later on he left the following private note on the
subject:
NUMERICAL LUNAR THEORY.
_1890, Sept. 29_.
I had made considerable advance (under official difficulties) in
calculations on my favourite Numerical Lunar Theory, when I discovered
that, under the heavy pressure of unusual matters (two Transits of
Venus and some eclipses) I had committed a grievous error in the first
stage of giving numerical value to my Theory.
My spirit in the work was broken, and I have never heartily proceeded
with it since.
G.B. AIRY.
Probably the error referred to here is the suspected error mentioned
above in his Report of 1878, as to which he subsequently became more
certain.
Whatever may be the imperfections of the Numerical Lunar Theory, it is
a wonderful work to have been turned out by a man 85 years old. In its
idea and inception it embodies the experience of a long life actively
spent in practical science. And it may be that it will yet fulfil the
objects of its author, and that some younger astronomer may take it
up, correct its errors (wherever they may be), and fit it for
practical use. And then the labour bestowed upon it will not have
been in vain.
Subject always to the absorbing occupations of the Lunar Theory he
amused himself with reading his favourite subjects of History and
Antiquities. His movements during the remainder of the year 1881 were
as follows: In September he paid a two days' visit to Lady Herschel at
Hawkhurst. From Oct. 4th to 17th he was at the Cumberland Lakes and
engaged in expeditions in the neighbourhood. From Nov. 5th to 8th he
was at Cambridge, inspecting Prof. Stuart's workshops, and other
scientific institutions. On Dec. 13th he went to Playford.--Amongst
miscellaneous matters: in November he wrote to Mr Rothery on the loss
of the 'Teuton' at some length, with suggestions for the safer
construction of such vessels.--In October he was asked for suggestions
regarding the establishment of a "Standard Time" applicable to the
railway traffic in the United States: he replied as follows:
_1881, Oct. 31_.
SIR,
I have to acknowledge your letter of October 17, introducing to my
notice the difficulty which appears to be arising in America regarding
a "Standard Time," for extensive use throughout N. America
"applicable to railway traffic only." The subject, as including
considerations of convenience in all the matters to which it applies,
is one of difficulties probably insuperable. The certainty, however,
that objections may be raised to every scheme, renders me less timid
in offering my own remarks; which are much at your service.
I first comment upon your expression of "Standard Time... applicable
to railway traffic only." But do you mean this as affecting the
transactions between one railway and another railway, or as affecting
each railway and the local interests (temporal and others) of the
towns which it touches? The difference is so great that I should be
disposed to adopt it as marking very strongly the difference to be
made between the practices of railways among themselves and the
practices of railways towards the public; and will base a system on
that difference.
As regards the practices of railways among themselves: if the various
railways of America are joined and inosculated as they are in England,
it appears to me indispensable that they have one common standard
_among themselves_: say Washington Observatory time. But this is only
needed for the office-transactions between the railways; it may be
kept perfectly private; never communicated to the public at all. And I
should recommend this as the first step.
There will then be no difficulty in deducing, from these private
Washington times, the accurate local times at those stations (whose
longitude is supposed to be fairly well known, as a sailor with a
sextant can determine one in a few hours) which the railway
authorities may deem worthy of that honour; generally the termini of
railways. Thus we shall have a series of bases of local time, of
authoritative character, through the country.
Of such bases _we_ have two, Greenwich and Dublin: and they are
separated by a sea-voyage. In the U.S. of America there must be a
greater number, and probably not so well separated. Still it is
indispensable to adopt such a system of local centers.
No people in this world can be induced to use a reckoning which does
not depend clearly upon the sun. In all civilized countries it depends
(approximately) on the sun's meridian passage. Even the sailor on
mid-ocean refers to that phenomenon. And the solar passage, with
reasonable allowance, 20m. or 30m. one way or another, must be
recognized in all time-arrangements as giving the fundamental
time. The only practical way of doing this is, to adopt for a whole
region the fundamental time of a center of that region.
And to this fundamental time, the local time of the railway, as now
entering into all the concerns of life, must be adapted. A solicitor
has an appointment to meet a client by railway; a physician to a
consultation. How is this to be kept if the railway uses one time and
every other act of life another?
There is one chain of circumstances which is almost peculiar--that of
the line from New York to San Francisco. Here I would have two clocks
at every station: those on the north side all shewing San Francisco
time, and those on the south all shewing New York time. Every
traveller's watch would then be available to the end of his journey.
A system, fundamentally such as I have sketched, would give little
trouble, and may I think be adopted with advantage.
I am, Sir,
Your faithful servant,
G.B. AIRY.
_Mr Edward Barrington._
1882
He returned from Playford on Jan. 17: his other movements during the
year were as follows: from Apr. 27th to May 11th he was at Playford;
and again from August 1st to 24th. From Oct. 9th to Nov. 1st he was
travelling with his two unmarried daughters in the Lake District of
Cumberland: the journey was by Furness and Coniston to Portinscale
near Keswick; on Oct. 13th he fell and sprained his ankle, and his
excursions for the rest of the time were mainly conducted by
driving. Shortly after his return, on Nov. 11th, while walking alone
on Blackheath, he was seized with a violent attack of illness, and lay
helpless for some time before he was found and brought home: he seems
however to have recovered to a great extent in the course of a day or
two, and continued his Lunar Theory and other work as before. On June
22nd he made the following sad note, "This morning, died after a most
painful illness my much-loved daughter-in-law, Anna Airy, daughter of
Professor Listing of Göttingen, wife of my eldest son Wilfrid." In
February he wrote out his reminiscences of the village of Playford
during his boyhood.
In June he was much disturbed in mind on hearing of some important
alterations made by the Astronomer Royal in the Collimators of the
Transit Circle, and some correspondence ensued on the subject.--During
the year he had much correspondence on the subject of the subsidences
on Blackheath.
The following letter was written in reply to a gentleman who had asked
whether it could be ascertained by calculation how long it is since
the Glacial Period existed:
_1882, July 4_.
SIR,
I should have much pleasure in fully answering your questions of July
3 if I were able to do so: but the subject really is very obscure.
(1) Though it is recognized that the glacial period (or periods) is
late, I do not think that any one has ventured to fix upon a rude
number of years since elapsed.
(2) We have no reason to think that the mean distance of the earth
from the sun has sensibly altered. There have been changes in the
eccentricity of the orbit (making the earth's distance from the sun
less in one month and greater in the opposite month), but I do not
perceive that this would explain glaciers.
(3) I consider it to be certain that the whole surface of the earth,
at a very distant period, was very hot, that it has cooled gradually,
and (theoretically and imperceptibly) is cooling still. The glaciers
must be later than these hot times, and later than our last
consolidated strata: but this is nearly all that I can say.
I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant,
G.B. AIRY.
_James Alston, Esq._
1883
From May 2nd to 29th he was at Playford. From July 10th to 20th he was
travelling in South Wales with his daughters.--From Oct. 10th to
Nov. 10th he was at Playford.--Between Nov. 20th of this year and
Jan. 4th of the year 1884, he sat several times to Mr John Collier for
his portrait: the picture was exhibited in the Academy of 1884; it is
a most successful and excellent likeness.
Throughout the year he was very busy with the Numerical Lunar
Theory.--In March he was officially asked to accept the office of
Visitor of the Royal Observatory, which he accepted, and in this
capacity attended at the Annual Visitation on June 2nd, and addressed
a Memorandum to the Visitors on the progress of his Lunar Theory.--On
March 12th he published in several newspapers a statement in
opposition to the proposed Braithwaite and Buttermere Railway, which
he considered would be injurious to the Lake District, in which he
took so deep an interest.--In May he communicated to "The Observatory"
a statement of his objections to a Theory advanced by Mr Stone (then
President of the Royal Astronomical Society) to account for the
recognized inequality in the Mean Motion of the Moon. This Theory, on
a subject to which Airy had given his incessant attention for so many
years, would naturally receive his careful attention and criticism,
and it attracted much general notice at the time.--In December he
wrote to the Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society his opinion
as to the award of the Medal of the Society. In this letter he stated
the principles which guided him as follows: "I have always maintained
that the award of the Medal ought to be guided mainly by the
originality of communications: that one advance in a new direction
ought in our decision to outweigh any mass of work in a routine
already established: and that, in any case, scientific utility as
distinguished from mere elegance is indispensable."--In July
Lieut. Pinheiro of the Brazilian Navy called with an autograph letter
of introduction from the Emperor of Brazil. The Lieutenant desired to
make himself acquainted with the English system of Lighthouses and
Meteorology, and Airy took much trouble in providing him with
introductions through which he received every facility for the
thorough accomplishment of his object.--On Oct. 8th he forwarded to
Prof. Cayley proofs of Euclid's Propositions I. 47 and III. 35 with
the following remarks: "I place on the other side the propositions
which may be substituted (with knowledge of Euclid's VI. book) for the
two celebrated propositions of the geometrical books. They leave on my
mind no doubt whatever that they were invented as proofs by ratios,
and that they were then violently expanded into cumbrous geometrical
proofs."--On June 28th he declined to sign a memorial asking for the
interment of Mr Spottiswoode in Westminster Abbey, stating as his
reason, "I take it, that interment possessing such a public character
is a public recognition of benefits, political, literary, or
philosophical, whose effects will be great and durable. Now I doubt
whether it can be stated that Mr Spottiswoode had conferred such
benefits on Society. "But he adds at length his cordial recognition of
Mr Spottiswoode's scientific services.--Throughout his life Airy was a
regular attendant at church, and took much interest in the conduct of
the Church services. In October of this year he wrote a long letter
to the Vicar of Greenwich on various points, in which occurs the
following paragraph: "But there is one matter in the present form of
the Church Service, on which my feeling is very strong, namely the
(so-called, I believe) Choral Service, in the Confession, the Prayer,
and the Creed. I have long listened with veneration to our noble
Liturgy, and I have always been struck with the deep personally
religious feeling which pervades it, especially those parts of it
which are for 'The People.' And an earnest Priest, earnestly pressing
these parts by his vocal example on the notice of the People, can
scarcely fail to excite a corresponding earnestness in them. All this
is totally lost in the choral system. For a venerable persuasion there
is substituted a rude irreverential confusion of voices; for an
earnest acceptance of the form offered by the Priest there is
substituted--in my feeling at least--a weary waiting for the end of an
unmeaning form." He also objected much to singing the responses to the
Commandments.
1884
From Apr. 29th to May 30th he was at Playford, concluding his Journal
there with the note "So ends a pleasant Vacation."--On June 11th he
went to Cambridge and attended the Trinity College Commemoration
Service, and dined in Hall.--From Aug. 14th to Sept. 11th he was at
Playford.--On Sept. 26th he made an expedition to Guildford and
Farnham.--During this year he was closely engaged on the Numerical
Lunar Theory, and for relaxation was reading theology and sundry books
of the Old Testament.
On June 7th he attended at the Visitation of the Royal
Observatory.--In a letter written in April to Lt.-Col. Marindin, R.A.,
on the subject of wind pressure there occurs the following remark:
"When the heavy gusts come on, the wind is blowing in directions
changing rapidly, but limited in extent. My conclusion is that in
arches of small extent (as in the Tay Bridge) every thing must be
calculated for full pressure; but in arches of large extent (as in the
Forth Bridge) every thing may be calculated for small pressure. And
for a suspension bridge the pressure is far less dangerous than for a
stiff arch."--In January he had some correspondence with Professor
Tyndall on the Theory of the "White Rainbow," and stated that he
thoroughly agreed with Dr Young's explanation of this phaenomenon.
--The following is extracted from a letter on May 1st to
his old friend Otto Struve: "I received from you about 3 or 4 weeks
past a sign of your friendly remembrance, a copy of your paper on the
Annual Parallax of Aldebaran. It pleased me much. Especially I was
delighted with your noble retention of the one equation whose result
differed so sensibly from that of the other equations. It is quite
possible, even probable, that the mean result is improved by it. I
have known such instances. The first, which attracted much attention,
was Capt. Kater's attempt to establish a scale of longitude in England
by reciprocal observations of azimuth between Beachy Head and
Dunnose. The result was evidently erroneous. But Colonel Colby, on
examination of the original papers, found that some observations had
been omitted, as suspicious; and that when these were included the
mean agreed well with the scale of observation inferred from other
methods."--In a letter to the Rev. R.C.M. Rouse, acknowledging the
receipt of a geometrical book, there occurs the following paragraph:
"I do not value Euclid's Elements as a super-excellent book of
instruction--though some important points are better presented in it
than in any other book of geometrical instruction that I have
seen. But I value it as a book of strong and distinct reasoning, and
of orderly succession of reasonings. I do not think that there is any
book in the world which presents so distinctly the 'because......
therefore.......' And this is invaluable for the mental
education of youth."--In May he was in correspondence with Professor
Balfour Stewart regarding a projected movement in Terrestrial
Magnetism to be submitted to the British Association. Airy cordially
approved of this movement, and supported it to the best of his
ability, stating that in his opinion what was mainly wanted was the
collation of existing records.--In January and February he was much
pressed by Prof. Pritchard of Oxford to give his opinion as to the
incorrectness of statements made by Dr Kinns in his Lectures on the
Scientific Accuracy of the Bible. Airy refused absolutely to take part
in the controversy, but he could not escape from the correspondence
which the matter involved: and this led up to other points connected
with the early history of the Israelites, a subject in which he took
much interest.
1885
From May 4th to June 3rd he was at Playford.--From July 2nd to 22nd he
was in the Lake District. The journey was by Windermere to Kentmere,
where he made enquiries concerning the Airy family, as it had been
concluded with much probability from investigations made by his
nephew, the Rev. Basil R. Airy, that the family was settled there at a
very early date. Some persons of the name of Airy were still living
there. He then went on by Coniston and Grasmere to Portinscale, and
spent the rest of his time in expeditions amongst the hills and visits
to friends.--On July 28th he went to Woodbridge in Suffolk and
distributed the prizes to the boys of the Grammar School there.--From
Oct. 9th to Nov. 12th he was again at Playford.--Throughout the year
he was busily engaged on the Numerical Lunar Theory, and found but
little time for miscellaneous reading.
Of printed papers by Airy in this year the most important was one on
the "Results deduced from the Measures of Terrestrial Magnetic Force
in the Horizontal Plane," &c. This was a long Paper, communicated to
the Royal Society, and published in the Phil. Trans., and was the last
Scientific Paper of any importance (except the Volume of the Numerical
Lunar Theory) in the long list of "Papers by G.B. Airy." The
preparation of this Paper took much time.--Of miscellaneous matters:
In May a Committee of the Royal Society had been appointed to advise
the India Office as to the publication of Col. J. Herschel's pendulum
observations in India; and Airy was asked to assist the Committee with
his advice. He gave very careful and anxious consideration to the
subject, and it occupied much time.--In the early part of the year he
was asked by Sir William Thomson to assist him with an affidavit in a
lawsuit concerning an alleged infringement of one of his Patents for
the improvement of the Compass. Airy declined to make an affidavit or
to take sides in the dispute, but he wrote a letter from which the
following is extracted: "I cannot have the least difficulty in
expressing my opinion that you have made a great advance in the
application of my method of correcting the compass in iron ships, by
your introduction of the use of short needles for the compass-cards.
In my original investigations, when the whole subject was in darkness,
I could only use existing means for experiment, namely the long-needle
compasses then existing. But when I applied mechanical theory to
explanation of the results, I felt grievously the deficiency of a
theory and the construction which it suggested (necessarily founded on
assumption that the proportion of the needle-length to the other
elements of measure is small) when the length of the needles was
really so great. I should possibly have used some construction like
yours, but the Government had not then a single iron vessel, and did
not seem disposed to urge the enquiry. You, under happier auspices,
have successfully carried it out, and, I fully believe, with much
advantage to the science."--He wrote a Paper for the Athenaeum and had
various correspondence on the subject of the Badbury Rings in
Dorsetshire, which he (and others) considered as identical with the
"Mons Badonicus" of Gildas, the site of an ancient British battle.--In
February he was in correspondence with the Astronomer Royal on Uniform
Time Reckoning, and on considerations relating to it.--On June 6th he
attended the Annual Visitation of the Observatory, and brought before
the Board his investigations of the Diurnal Magnetic Inequalities, and
the revises of his Lunar Theory.
1886
From June 8th to July 17th he was at Playford.--And again at Playford
from Oct. 5th to Nov. 8th.--On March 27th he had an attack of gout in
his right foot, which continued through April and into May, causing
him much inconvenience.--He was busy with the Numerical Lunar Theory
up to Sept. 25th, when he was reading the last proof-sheet received
from the printers: during this period his powers were evidently
failing, and there are frequent references to errors discovered and
corrected, and to uncertainties connected with points of the
Theory. But his great work on the Numerical Lunar Theory was printed
in this year: and there can be no doubt that he experienced a great
feeling of relief when this was accomplished.--He was in
correspondence with Prof. Adams as to the effect of his reduction of
the Coefficient of Lunar Acceleration on the calculation of the
ancient historical eclipses.--He compiled a Paper "On the
establishment of the Roman dominion in England," which was printed in
1887.--He wrote a notice concerning events in the life of Mr John
Jackson of Rosthwaite near Keswick, a well-known guide and
much-respected authority on matters relating to the Lake District.--He
also wrote a short account of the connection of the history of Mdlle
de Quéroualle with that of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.--On
June 4th he attended at the Annual Visitation of the Observatory.
1887
On May 9th to 11th he made a short visit to Eastbourne and the
neighbourhood.--From June 8th to July 13th he was at Playford.--From
Aug. 29th to Sept. 5th he was travelling in Dorsetshire and Wiltshire:
he went first to Weymouth, a very favourite centre for excursions with
him, and afterwards visited Bridport and Lyme Regis: then by
Dorchester to Blandford, and visited the Hod Hill, Badbury Rings, &c.:
at Wimborne he was much interested in the architecture of the church:
lastly he visited Salisbury, Old Sarum, Stonehenge, &c., and returned
to Greenwich.--From Oct. 11th to Nov. 12th he was at Playford.--During
this year he partly occupied himself with arranging his papers and
drawings, and with miscellaneous reading. But he could not withdraw
his thoughts from his Lunar Theory, and he still continued to struggle
with the difficulties of the subject, and was constantly scheming
improvements. His private accounts also now gave him much
trouble. Throughout his life he had been accustomed to keep his
accounts by double entry in very perfect order. But he now began to
make mistakes and to grow confused, and this distressed him
greatly. It never seemed to occur to him to abandon his elaborate
system of accounts, and to content himself with simple entries of
receipts and expenses. This would have been utterly opposed to his
sense of order, which was now more than ever the ruling principle of
his mind. And so he struggled with his accounts as he did with his
Lunar Theory till his powers absolutely failed. In his Journal for
this year there are various entries of mental attacks of short
duration and other ailments ascribable to his advanced age.
The last printed "Papers by G.B. Airy" belong to this year. One was
the Paper before referred to "On the establishment of the Roman
dominion in England": another was on the solution of a certain
Equation: and there were early reminiscences of the Cambridge Tripos,
&c.--In February he attended a little to a new edition of his Ipswich
Lectures, but soon handed it over to Mr H.H. Turner of the Royal
Observatory.--On May 23rd he was drawing up suggestions for the
arrangement of the Seckford School, &c., at Woodbridge.--On June 4th
he attended the Visitation of the Royal Observatory, when a resolution
was passed in favour of complete photography of the star-sky.
1888
From the 14th to 16th of May he made a short expedition to
Bournemouth, and stopped on the way home to visit Winchester
Cathedral.--From June 27th to Aug. 3rd he was at Playford; and again
from Oct. 13th to Nov. 10th.--During the first half of the year he
continued his examination of his Lunar Theory, but gradually dropped
it. There are several references in his Journal to his feelings of
pain and weakness, both mental and bodily: at the end of March he had
an attack of gout in the fingers of his right hand. During the latter
part of the year he was troubled with his private accounts, as
before.--He does not appear to have been engaged on any miscellaneous
matters calling for special notice in this year. But he kept up his
astronomical correspondence--with Lockyer on the meteorite system of
planetary formation; with Pritchard on the work of the Oxford
University Observatory; with Adams on his Numerical Lunar Theory, &c.,
and with others.--On June 2nd he attended the Visitation of the Royal
Observatory.--He amused himself occasionally with reading his
favourite subjects of history and antiquities, and with looking over
some of his early investigations of scientific questions.
1889
On June 5th he made a one-day's excursion to Colchester.--From July
2nd to 27th he was in the Cumberland Lake District, chiefly at
Portinscale near Keswick. While staying at Portinscale he was seized
with a sudden giddiness and fell upon the floor: he afterwards wrote a
curious account of the visions which oppressed his brain immediately
after the accident. He returned by Solihull, where his son Osmund was
residing.--From Oct. 4th to Nov. 8th he was at Playford. While there
he drew up a short statement of his general state of health, adverting
particularly to the loss of strength in his legs and failure of his
walking powers.--His health seems to have failed a good deal in this
year: on Feb. 4th he had an accidental fall, and there are several
entries in his Journal of mental attacks, pains in his limbs,
affection of his eye-sight, &c.--In the early part of the year he was
much engaged on the history of the Airy family, particularly on that
of his father.--In this year the White House was sold by auction by
its owners, and Airy purchased it on May 24th.--He was still in
difficulties with his private accounts, but was making efforts to
abandon his old and elaborate system.--For his amusement he was
chiefly engaged on Theological Notes which he was compiling: and also
on early optical investigations, &c.
On June 1st he attended the Visitation of the Royal Observatory, and
moved a resolution that a Committee be appointed to consider whether
any reduction can be effected in the amount of matter printed in the
Volume of Observations of the Royal Observatory. During his tenure of
office he had on various occasions brought this subject before the
Board of Visitors, and with his usual tenacity of purpose he now as
Visitor pressed it upon their notice.--In May he zealously joined with
others in an application to get for Dr Huggins a pension on the Civil
List.--In January he prepared a short Paper illustrated with diagrams
to exhibit the Interference of Solar Light, as used by him in his
Lectures at Cambridge in 1836: but it does not appear to have been
published.--In April he received a copy of a Paper by Mr Rundell,
referring to the complete adoption of his system of compass correction
in iron ships, not only in the merchant service, but also in the
Navy. This was a matter of peculiar gratification to Airy, who had
always maintained that the method of Tables of Errors, which had been
so persistently adhered to by the Admiralty, was a mistake, and that
sooner or later they would find it necessary to adopt his method of
mechanical correction. The passage referred to is as follows: "The
name of Sir George Airy, the father of the mechanical compensation of
the compass in iron vessels, having just been mentioned, it may not be
inappropriate to remind you that the present year is the fiftieth
since Sir George Airy presented to the Royal Society his celebrated
paper on this subject with the account of his experiments on the
'Rainbow' and 'Ironsides.' Fifty years is a long period in one man's
history, and Sir George Airy may well be proud in looking back over
this period to see how complete has been the success of his compass
investigation. His mode of compensation has been adopted by all the
civilized world. Sir William Thomson, one of the latest and perhaps
the most successful of modern compass adjusters, when he exhibited his
apparatus in 1878 before a distinguished meeting in London, remarked
that within the last ten years the application of Sir George Airy's
method had become universal, not only in the merchant service, but in
the navies of this and other countries, and added--The compass and the
binnacles before you are designed to thoroughly carry out in practical
navigation the Astronomer Royal's principles."
1890
From May 17th to 24th he was on an expedition to North Wales, stopping
at Chester, Conway, Carnarvon, Barmouth, and Shrewsbury.--From June
18th to July 24th he was at Playford; and again from Oct. 11th to
Nov. 15th.--In this year his powers greatly failed, and he complained
frequently of mental attacks, weakness of limbs, lassitude, and
failure of sleep. He occupied himself as usual with his books, papers,
and accounts; and read Travels, Biblical History, &c., but nothing
very persistently.
On June 7th he attended the Visitation of the Royal Observatory.--From
a letter addressed to him by Mr J. Hartnup, of Liverpool Observatory,
it appears that there had grown up in the mercantile world an
impression that very accurate chronometers were not needed for steam
ships, because they were rarely running many days out of sight of
land: and Airy's opinion was requested on this matter. He replied as
follows on Mar. 3rd: "The question proposed in your letter is purely a
practical one. (1) If a ship is _likely_ ever to be two days out of
sight of land, I think that she ought to be furnished with two _good_
chronometers, properly tested. (2) For the proper testing of the rates
of the chronometers, a rating of the chronometers for three or four
days in a meridional observatory is necessary. A longer testing is
desirable."--In March he was in correspondence, as one of the Trustees
of the Sheepshanks Fund, with the Master of Trinity relative to grants
from the Fund for Cambridge Observatory.
1891
From June 16th to July 15th he was at Playford. And again from
Oct. 12th to Dec. 2nd (his last visit). Throughout the year his
weakness, both of brain power and muscular power, had been gradually
increasing, and during this stay at Playford, on Nov. 11th, he fell
down in his bed-room (probably from failure of nerve action) and was
much prostrated by the shock. For several days he remained in a
semi-unconscious condition, and although he rallied, yet he continued
very weak, and it was not until Dec. 2nd that he could be removed to
the White House. Up to the time of his fall he had been able to take
frequent drives and even short walks in the neighbourhood that he was
so fond of, but he could take but little exercise afterwards, and on
or about Nov. 18th he made the following note: "The saddest expedition
that I have ever made. We have not left home for several days."
The rapid failure of his powers during this year is well exemplified
by his handwriting in his Journal entries, which, with occasional
rallies, becomes broken and in places almost illegible. He makes
frequent reference to his decline in strength and brain-power, and to
his failing memory, but he continued his ordinary occupations, made
frequent drives around Blackheath, and amused himself with his family
history researches, arrangement of papers, and miscellaneous reading:
and he persisted to the last with his private accounts. His interest
in matters around him was still keen. On June 13th he was driving
along the Greenwich Marshes in order to track the course of the great
sewer; and on August 5th he visited the Crossness Sewage Works and
took great interest in the details of the treatment of the sewage.--In
March he contributed, with great satisfaction, to the Fund for the
Portrait of his old friend Sir G.G. Stokes, with whom he had had so
much scientific correspondence.--On July 25th an afternoon party was
arranged to celebrate the 90th anniversary of his birthday (the actual
anniversary was on July 27th). None of his early friends were there:
he had survived them all. But invitations were sent to all his
scientific and private friends who could be expected to come, and a
large party assembled. The afternoon was very fine, and he sat in the
garden and received his friends (many of whom had come from long
distances) in good strength and spirits. It was a most successful
gathering and was not without its meaning; for it was felt that, under
the circumstances of his failing powers, it was in all probability a
final leave-taking.--On July 27th he went down to the Greenwich Parish
Church at 9 p.m., to be present at the illumination of the church
clock face for the first time--a matter of local interest which had
necessitated a good deal of time and money. On this occasion at the
request of the company assembled in and around the Vestry he spoke for
about a quarter of an hour on Time--the value of accurate time, the
dissemination of Greenwich time throughout the country by time-signals
from the Observatory, and the exhibition of it by time-balls, &c.,
&c.,--the subject to which so large a part of his life had been
devoted. It was a pleasant and able speech and gave great satisfaction
to the parishioners, amongst whom he had lived for so many years.--He
received two illuminated addresses--one from the Astronomer Royal and
Staff of the Royal Observatory; the other from the Vorstand of the
Astronomische Gesellschaft at Berlin--and various private letters of
congratulation. The address from the Staff of the Observatory was
worded thus: "We, the present members of the Staff of the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich, beg to offer you our most sincere
congratulations on the occasion of your 90th birthday. We cannot but
feel how closely associated we are with you, in that our whole
energies are directed to the maintenance and development of that
practical astronomical work, of which you essentially laid the
foundation. It affords us great pleasure to think that after the
conclusion of your life's work, you have been spared to live so long
under the shadow of the noble Observatory with which your name was
identified for half a century, and with which it must ever remain
associated."
After his return from Playford he seemed to rally a little: but he
soon fell ill and was found to be suffering from hernia. This
necessitated a surgical operation, which was successfully performed on
Dec. 17th. This gave him effectual relief, and after recovering from
the immediate effects of the operation, he lay for several days
quietly and without active pain reciting the English poetry with which
his memory was stored. But the shock was too great for his enfeebled
condition, and he died peacefully in the presence of his six surviving
children on Jan. 2nd, 1892. He was buried in Playford churchyard on
Jan. 7th. The funeral procession was attended at Greenwich by the
whole staff of the Royal Observatory, and by other friends, and at his
burial there were present two former Fellows of the College to which
he had been so deeply attached.
APPENDIX.
LIST OF PRINTED PAPERS BY G.B. AIRY.
LIST OF BOOKS WRITTEN BY G.B. AIRY.
PRINTED PAPERS BY G.B. AIRY.
With the instinct of order which formed one of his chief
characteristics Airy carefully preserved a copy of every printed Paper
of his own composition. These were regularly bound in large quarto
volumes, and they are in themselves a striking proof of his wonderful
diligence. The bound volumes are 14 in number, and they occupy a space
of 2 ft. 6 in. on a shelf. They contain 518 Papers, a list of which is
appended, and they form such an important part of his life's work,
that his biography would be very incomplete without a reference to
them.
He was very careful in selecting the channels for the publication of
his Papers. Most of the early Papers were published in the
Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, but several of
the most important, such as his Paper "On an inequality of long period
in the motions of the Earth and Venus," were published in the
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, and others, such as
the articles on "The Figure of the Earth," "Gravitation," "Tides and
Waves," &c., were published in Encyclopaedias. After his removal to
Greenwich nearly all his Papers on scientific subjects (except
astronomy), such as Tides, Magnetism, Correction of the Compass, &c.,
&c., were communicated to the Royal Society, and were published in the
Philosophical Transactions. But everything astronomical was reserved
for the Royal Astronomical Society. His connection with that Society
was very close: he had joined it in its earliest days (the date of his
election was May 9th, 1828), and regarded it as the proper medium for
the discussion of current astronomical questions, and for recording
astronomical progress. He was unremitting in his attendance at the
Monthly Meetings of the Society, and was several times President. In
the Memoirs of the Society 35 of his Papers are printed, and in
addition 129 Papers in the Monthly Notices. In fact a meeting of the
Society rarely passed without some communication from him, and such
was his wealth of matter that sometimes he would communicate as many
as 3 Papers on a single evening. For the publication of several short
mathematical Papers, and especially for correspondence on disputed
points of mathematical investigation, he chose as his vehicle the
Philosophical Magazine, to which he contributed 32 Papers.
Investigations of a more popular character he published in the
Athenaeum, which he also used as a vehicle for his replies to attacks
on his work, or on the Establishment which he conducted: in all he
made 55 communications to that Newspaper. To various Societies, such
as the Institution of Civil Engineers, the British Association, the
Royal Institution, &c., he presented Papers or made communications on
subjects specially suited to each; and in like manner to various
Newspapers: there were 58 Papers in this category. In so long an
official life there would naturally be a great number of Official
Reports, Parliamentary Returns, &c., and these, with other
miscellaneous Papers printed for particular objects and for a limited
circulation, amounted in all to 141. Under this head come his Annual
Reports to the Board of Visitors, which in themselves contain an
extremely full and accurate history of the Observatory during his
tenure of office. There are 46 of these Reports, and they would of
themselves form a large volume of about 740 pages.
The following summary of his Printed Papers shews the manner in which
they were distributed:
SUMMARY OF PRINTED PAPERS BY G.B. AIRY.
Number of
Papers.
In the Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 30
In the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 29
In the Proceedings of the Royal Society 9
In the Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society 35
In the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 129
In the Philosophical Magazine and Journal 32
In the Athenaeum 55
In Encyclopedias, and in various Newspapers
and Transactions 58
In Official Reports, Addresses, Parliamentary Returns,
Evidence before Committees, Lectures, Letters,
Sundry Treatises, and Papers 141
---
Total 518
PRINTED PAPERS BY G.B. AIRY.
Date when read
or published. Title of Paper. Where published.
1822 Nov. 25 On the use of Silvered Glass for the Mirrors Camb. Phil. Soc.
of Reflecting Telescopes.
1824 Mar. 15 On the Figure assumed by a Fluid Homogeneous Camb. Phil. Soc.
Mass, whose Particles are acted
on by their mutual Attraction, and by
small extraneous Forces.
1824 May 17 On the Principles and Construction of the Camb. Phil. Soc.
Achromatic Eye-Pieces of Telescopes,
and on the Achromatism of Microscopes.
1824 Trigonometry. Encycl. Metrop.
1825 Feb. 21 On a peculiar Defect in the Eye, and a Camb. Phil. Soc.
mode of correcting it.
1825 May 2 On the Forms of the Teeth of Wheels. Camb. Phil. Soc.
1826 May 8 On Laplace's Investigation of the Attraction Camb. Phil. Soc.
of Spheroids differing little from a Sphere.
1826 June 15 On the Figure of the Earth. Phil. Trans.
1826 Nov. 26 On the Disturbances of Pendulums and Camb. Phil. Soc.
Balances, and on the Theory of
Escapements.
1827 Feb. 15 Remarks on a Correction of the Solar Phil. Trans.
Tables, required by Mr South's
observations.
1827 May 9 On some Passages in Mr Ivory's Remarks Phil. Mag.
on a Memoir by M. Poisson relating to
the Attraction of Spheroids.
1827 May 14 On the Spherical Aberration of the Camb. Phil. Soc.
May 21 Eyepieces of Telescopes.
1827 Dec. 6 On the corrections in the elements of Phil. Trans.
Delambre's Solar Tables required by the
observations made at the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich.
1828 Feb. 26 Address to the Members of the Senate, on
an Improvement in the Position of the
Plumian Professor.
1828 Nov. 24 On the Longitude of the Cambridge
Observatory. Camb. Phil. Soc.
1829 Nov. 13 On a method of determining the Mass of Astr. Soc.
the Moon from Transit Observations of (Memoirs)
Venus near her inferior conjunction.
1829 Nov. 16 On a Correction requisite to be applied Camb. Phil. Soc.
to the Length of a Pendulum consisting
of a Ball suspended by a fine Wire.
1829 Dec. 14 On certain Conditions under which a Camb. Phil. Soc.
Perpetual Motion is possible.
1830 Aug. 17 Figure of the Earth. Encycl. Metrop.
1831 Feb. 21 On the Nature of the Light in the Two Camb. Phil. Soc.
Rays produced by the Double Refraction
of Quartz.
1831 Apr. 18 Addition to the above Paper. Camb. Phil. Soc.
1831 Nov. 14 On a remarkable Modification of Newton's Camb. Phil. Soc.
Rings.
1831 Nov. 24 On an inequality of long period in the Phil. Trans.
motions of the Earth and Venus.
1832 Jan. 2 Translation of Encke's Dissertation (on
Encke's Comet) contained in Nos. 210
and 211 of the Astronomische Nachrichten.
1833 Mar. 5 On a new Analyzer, and its use in Camb. Phil. Soc.
Experiments of Polarization.
1832 Mar. 19 On the Phenomena of Newton's Rings
when formed between two transparent
Substances of different refractive Powers.
1832 May 2 Report on the Progress of Astronomy Trans Brit. Ass.
during the present century.
1832 Oct. Report of the Syndicate of the Cambridge
Observatory.
1833 Feb. 2 Remarks on Mr Potter's Experiment on Phil. Mag.
Interference.
1833 Apr. 12 On the Mass of Jupiter, as determined R. Astr. Soc.
from the Observation of Elongations of (Memoirs)
the Fourth Satellite.
1833 Syllabus of a Course of Experimental
Lectures.
1833 May 7 On the Calculation of Newton's Camb. Phil. Soc.
Experiments on Diffraction.
1833 May 7 Remarks on Sir David Brewster's Paper Phil. Mag.
"On the Absorption of Specific Rays" &c.
1833 May 16 Results of the Repetition of Mr Potter's Phil. Mag.
Experiment of interposing a Prism in
the Path of Interfering Light.
1833 May On a supposed black bar formed by Phil. Mag.
Diffraction.
1833 June 20 Report on Mr Barlow's Fluid-Lens R. Soc. (Proc.)
Telescope
1834 Mar. 14 Continuation of Researches into the Value R. Astr. Soc.
of the Mass of Jupiter, by observation of (Memoirs.)
the Elongations of the Fourth Satellite.
1834 Apr. 14 On the Latitude of Cambridge Observatory Camb. Phil. Soc.
1834 June Report of the Syndicate of the Cambridge
Observatory.
1834 June 13 On the Position of the Ecliptic, as inferred R. Astr. Soc.
inferred from Transit and Circle (Memoirs.)
Observations made at Cambridge Observatory
in the year 1833.
1834 June 13 Observations of the Solar Eclipse of July R. Astr. Soc.
16th, 1833, made at Cambridge Observatory, (Memoirs.)
and Calculations of the Observations.
1834 Nov. 24 On the Diffraction of an Object-Glass Camb. Phil. Soc.
with Circular Aperture.
1834 Dec. 3 On the Calculation of the Perturbations Naut. Alm.
of the Small Planets and the Comets of (1837, App.)
short period.
1835 May 8 Continuation of Researches into the Value R. Astr, Soc.
of Jupiter's Mass. (Memoirs.)
1835 June Report of the Syndicate of the Cambridge
Observatory.
1835 June 12 On the Position of the Ecliptic, as R. Astr. Soc.
inferred from Observations with the (Memoirs.)
Cambridge Transit and Mural Circle,
made in the year 1834.
1835 June 12 On the Time of Rotation of Jupiter. R. Astr. Soc.
(Memoirs.)
1836 Feb. 12 Speech on delivering the Medal of the R. Astr. Soc.
R. Astr. Soc. to Sir John Herschel. (Proc.)
1836 June 4 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1836 June 9 Report upon a Letter (on a Systematic R. Soc.
Course of Magnetic Observations) addressed (Proc.)
by M. le Baron de Humboldt to
His Royal Highness the President of
the Royal Society (by S. Hunter Christie
and G.B. Airy).
1837 Jan. 13 Continuation of Researches into the Value R. Astr. Soc.
of Jupiter's Mass. (Memoirs.)
1837 Feb. 10 Speech on delivering the Medal of the R. Astr. Soc.
R. Astr. Soc. to Professor Rosenberger. (Proc)
1837 Mar. 10 Results of the Observations of the Sun, R. Astr. Soc.
Moon, and Planets, made at Cambridge (Memoirs)
Observatory in the years 1833, 1834, and
1835.
1837 May 12 On the Position of the Ecliptic, as R. Astr. Soc.
inferred from Observations with the (Memoirs)
Cambridge Transit and Mural Circle, made
in the year 1835.
1837 June 3 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1837 Sept. 9 Address delivered in the Town Hall of
Neath.
1837 Nov. 10 On the Parallax of alpha Lyrae. R. Astr. Soc.
(Memoirs.)
1838 Feb. 10 Address to the Earl of Burlington on
Religious Examination in the University
of London.
1838 Mar. 26 On the Intensity of Light in the Camb. Phil. Soc.
neighbourhood of a Caustic.
1838 June 2 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1838 Dec. 14 A Catalogue of 726 Stars, deduced from R. Astr. Soc.
the Observations made at the Cambridge (Memoirs.)
Observatory, from 1828 to 1835; reduced
to January 1, 1830.
1839 Apr. 25 Account of Experiments on Iron-built Phil. Trans.
Ships, instituted for the purpose of
discovering a correction for the deviation
of the Compass produced by the iron of
the Ships.
1839 June 1 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1839 Nov. 8 On the Determination of the Orbits of R. Astr. Soc.
Comets, from Observations. (Memoirs.)
1839 Article "Gravitation." Penny Cyclop.
1839 Article "Greenwich Observatory." Penny Cyclop.
1840 Mar. 2 On a New Construction of the Camb. Phil. Soc.
Going-Fusee.
1840 Mar. 13 On the Regulator of the Clock-work for R. Astr. Soc.
effecting uniform Movement of
Equatoreals.
1840 May 15 On the Correction of the Compass in Un. Serv. Journ.
Iron-built Ships. (Proc.)
1840 Results of Experiments on the Disturbance J. Weale.
of the Compass in Iron-built Ships.
1840 June 6 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1840 June 18 On the Theoretical Explanation of an Phil. Trans.
apparent new Polarity in Light.
1840 Nov. 19 Supplement to the above Paper. Phil. Trans.
1840 Dec. 4 On the Diffraction of an Annular Aperture. Phil. Mag.
1840 Dec. 9 Remarks on Professor Challis's Investigation Phil. Mag.
of the Motion of a Small Sphere
vibrating in a Resisting Medium.
1841 Jan. 20 Correction to the above Paper "On the Phil. Mag.
Diffraction," &c.
1841 Mar. 22 Remarks on Professor Challis's Reply to Phil. Mag.
Mr Airy's Objections to the Investigation
of the Resistance of the Atmosphere
to an Oscillating Sphere.
1841 June 5 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1841 July 10 Reply to Professor Challis, on the Phil. Mag.
Investigation of the Resistance of the
Air to an Oscillating Sphere.
1841 Oct. 26 Extraordinary Disturbance of the Magnets.
1841 Nov. 25 On the Laws of the Rise and Fall of the Phil. Trans.
Tide in the River Thames.
1841 Dec. 21 Report of the Commissioners appointed to
consider the steps to be taken for
Restoration of the Standards of Weight and
Measure.
1842 Apr. 16 On the [Greek: Ichtis] of Diodorus Athenaeum.
1842 May 13 Account of the Ordnance Zenith Sector. R. Astr. Soc.
(Proc.)
1842 June 4 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1842 Nov. 11 Observations of the Total Solar Eclipse of R. Astr. Soc.
1842 July 7. (Memoirs.)
1842 Dec. 1 Remarks on the Present State of Hatcliff's Private
Charity (Greenwich).
1842 Article on Tides and Waves. Encyc. Metrop.
1843 Mar. 2 On the Laws of Individual Tides at Phil. Trans.
Southampton and at Ipswich.
1843 Apr. 29 On Monetary and Metrical Systems. Athenaeum.
1843 June 3 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1843 Sept. 25 Address to the Individual Members of the
Board of Visitors of the Royal
Observatory (proposing the Altazimuth).
1843 Oct. 6 Account of the Northumberland Equatoreal
and Dome, attached to the Cambridge
Observatory.
1843 Nov. 10 Address and Explanation of the proposed
Altitude and Azimuth Instrument to the
Board of Visitors of the Royal
Observatory.
1844 June 1 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1844 Dec. 12 On the Laws of the Tides on the Coasts of Phil. Trans.
Ireland, as inferred from an extensive
series of observations made in connection
with the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.
1845 Jan. 10 On the Flexure of a Uniform Bar R. Astr. Soc.
supported by a number of equal Pressures (Memoirs.)
applied at equidistant points, &c.
1845 Feb. 14 Speech on delivering the Medal of the R. Astr. Soc.
R. Astr. Soc. to Capt. Smyth (Proc.)
1845 May 9 On a New Construction of the Divided R. Astr. Soc.
Eye-Glass Double-Image Micrometer. (Memoirs.)
1845 June 7 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1845 July 21 On Wexford Harbour.
1846 Report of the Gauge Commissioners. And
letter to Sir E. Ryan.
1846 May 7 On the Equations applying to Light under Phil. Mag.
the action of Magnetism.
1846 May 12 Remarks on Dr Faraday's Paper on Phil. Mag.
Ray-vibrations.
1846 May 25 On a Change in the State of an Eye Camb. Phil. Soc.
affected with a Mal-formation.
1846 June 6 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1846 June Account of the Measurement of an Arc of R. Astr. Soc.
Longitude between the Royal Observatory (Month. Not.)
of Greenwich and the Trigonometrical
Station of Feagh Main, in the Island
of Valentia.
1846 July 25 Letter to Sir Robert Harry Inglis, Bart., Athenaeum.
M.P., in answer to Sir James South's
attack on the Observations at the
Greenwich Observatory.
1846 Nov. On the Bands formed by the partial Phil. Mag.
Interception of the Prismatic Spectrum.
1846 Nov. 13 Account of some circumstances historically R. Astr. Soc.
connected with the Discovery of the (Memoirs.)
Planet exterior to Uranus.
1847 Jan. 8 Reduction of the Observations of Halley's R. Astr. Soc.
Comet made at the Cambridge Observatory in (Memoirs.)
the years 1835 and 1836.
1847 Jan. 8 On a proposed Alteration of Bessel's Method R. Astr. Soc.
for the Computation of the Corrections by (Memoirs.)
which the Apparent Places of
Stars are derived from the Mean Places.
1847 Feb. On Sir David Brewster's New Analysis of Phil. Mag.
Solar Light.
1847 Feb. 20 On the Name of the New Planet. Athenaeum.
1847 Feb. 27 Mr Adams and the New Planet. Athenaeum.
1847 Plan of the Buildings and Grounds of the
Royal Observatory, Greenwich, with
Explanation and History.
1847 May 14 Explanation of Hansen's Perturbations of R. Astr. Soc.
the Moon by Venus. (Month. Not.)
1847 June 5 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1847 Nov. 30 Address to the Individual Members of the
Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory.
(Zenith Tube.)
1847 Dec. 10 Results deduced from the Occultations of R. Astr. Soc.
Stars and Planets by the Moon, observed (Memoirs.)
at Cambridge Observatory from 1830 to 1835.
1848 Feb. 11 Abstract of Struve's "Études d'Astronomie R. Astr. Soc.
Stellaire." (Month. Not.)
1848 Mar. 13 Syllabus of Lectures on Astronomy to be
delivered at the Temperance Hall,
Ipswich.
1848 Apr. 10 Remarks on Prof. Challis's Theoretical Phil. Mag.
Determination of the Velocity of Sound
1848 May 8 Supplement to a Paper on the Intensity of Camb. Phil. Soc.
Light in the neighbourhood of a Caustic.
1848 May 12 Address to Individual members of the
Board of Visitors. (New Transit Circle,
Reflex Zenith Tube, &c.)
1848 June 3 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1848 June 9 Corrections of the Elements of the Moon's R. Astr. Soc.
Orbit, deduced from the Lunar (Memoirs.)
Observations made at the Royal Observatory,
of Greenwich from 1750 to 1830.
1848 Aug. 9 Explanation of a proposed construction of
Zenith Sector: addressed to the Board
of Visitors of the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich.
1848 Oct. 14 On the Construction of Chinese Balls Athenaeum.
1849 Description of the Instruments of Process
used in the Photographic self-registration
of the Magnetical and Meteorological
Instruments at the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich.
1849 Description of the Altitude and Azimuth
Instrument erected at the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich, in the year 1847.
1849 Astronomy. (Tract written for the
Scientific Manual.)
1849 Mar. 9 Substance of the Lecture delivered by the R. Astr. Soc.
Astronomer Royal on the large Reflecting (Month. Not.)
Telescopes of the Earl of Rosse and Mr
Lassell.
1849 June On a difficulty in the problem of Sound. Phil. Mag.
1849 June 2 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1849 June 8 On Instruments adapted to the Measure of R. Astr. Soc.
small Meridional Zenith Distances. (Month. Not.)
1849 Nov. 9 Results of the Observations made by the R. Astr. Soc.
Rev. Fearon Fallows at the Royal (Memoirs.)
Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, in the
years 1829, 1830, 1831.
1849 Nov. 9 On Bell's Calculating machine, and on R. Astr. Soc.
Lord Rosse's Telescope. (Month. Not.)
1849 Nov. 10 On the Exodus of the Israelites. Athenaeum.
1849 Dec. 14 On the Method of observing and recording R. Astr. Soc.
Transits, lately introduced in America, &c. (Month. Not.)
1850 Jan. 10 On a problem of Geodesy. Phil. Mag.
1850 Feb. 8 Address on presenting the Medal of the R. Astr. Soc.
R. Astr. Soc. to M. Otto von Struve. (Month. Not.)
1850 Mar. 15 On the Present State and Prospects of the R. Inst.
Science of Terrestrial Magnetism.
1850 Mar. 16 On the Exodus of the Israelites Athenaeum.
1850 Mar. 30 On the Exodus of the Israelites. Athenaeum.
1850 May 10 Statement concerning Assistance granted R. Astr. Soc.
by the Admiralty to Hansen--Also on (Month. Not.)
Henderson's numbers for the teeth of
wheels.
1850 May 10 On the Weights to be given to the separate R. Astr. Soc.
Results for Terrestrial Longitudes, (Memoirs.)
determined by the observation of Transits
of the Moon and Fixed Stars.
1850 June 1 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1850 June 14 Letter from Hansen on his Lunar Tables.--Valz R. Astr. Soc.
on an arrangement of double-image (Month. Not.)
micrometer.--On the Computation of
Longitude from Lunar Transits
1850 Dec. 13 On a Method of regulating the Clock-work R. Astr. Soc.
for Equatoreals. (Month. Not.)
1850 Dec. 13 Supplement to a Paper "On the Regulation R. Astr. Soc.
of the Clock-work for effecting Uniform (Memoirs.)
Movement of Equatoreals."
1850 Dec. 27 On the Relation of the Direction of the Phil. Trans.
Wind to the Age of the Moon, as inferred
from Observations made at the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich, from 1840 Nov.
to 1847 Dec.
1851 Jan. 14 Remarks on Mr Wyatt's Paper on the Inst. C.E.
Construction of the Building for the (Minutes.)
Exhibition of the Works of Industry of
all Nations in 1851.
1851 Feb. 15 Address on presenting the medal of the R. Astr. Soc.
R. Astr. Soc. to Dr Annibale de (Month. Not.)
Gasparis.
1851 Mar. 28 Letter to Professor Challis regarding the
Adams Prize.
1851 Mar. 29 On Caesar's place of landing in Britain. Athenaeum.
1851 Suggestions to Astronomers for the Brit. Assoc.
Observation of the Total Eclipse of the
Sun on July 28, 1851.
1851 Apr. 11 On the Determination of the probable R. Astr. Soc.
Stability of an Azimuthal Circle by (Month. Not.)
Observations of Star and a permanent
Collimator.
1851 May 2 On the Total Solar Eclipse of 1851, July 28. R. Inst.
(Lecture.)
1851 May 9 On the Vibration of a Free Pendulum in an R. Astr. Soc.
Oval differing little from a Straight Line (Memoirs)
1851 June 7 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1851 July 2 The President's Address to the Twenty-first Athenaeum.
Meeting of the British Association for
the Advancement of Science, Ipswich.
1851 Oct. 17 On Julius Caesar's Expedition against Naut. Mag.
England, in relation to his places of
departure and landing.
1851 Nov. 14 Account of the Total Eclipse of the Sun on R. Astr. Soc.
1851, July 28, as observed at Göttenburg, (Memoirs.)
at Christiania, and at Christianstadt.
1851 Dec. 13 On the Geography of the Exodus. Athenaeum.
1852 Jan. 9 On the Solar Eclipse of July 28, 1851. R. Astr. Soc.
(Month. Not.)
1852 On the place of Caesar's Departure from Soc. of Antiq.
Gaul for the Invasion of Britain, and (Memoirs.)
the Place of his Landing in Britain,
with an Appendix on the Battle of
Hastings.
1852 On a New Method of computing the Naut. Alm. 1856,
Perturbations of planets, by J.F. App.
Encke--translated and illustrated with
notes by G.B. Airy.
1852 June 5 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1853 Feb. 3 On the Eclipses of Agathocles, Thales, Phil. Trans.
and Xerxes.
1853 Feb. 4 Lecture on the results of recent R. Inst.
calculations on the Eclipse of Thales
and Eclipses connected with it.
1853 May 3 Address to the Individual Members of the
Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich. (Lunar Reductions.)
1853 May 14 On Decimal Coinage. Athenaeum.
1853 June 4 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1853 June Lecture on the Determination of the R. Astr. Soc.
Longitude of the Observatory of (Month. Not.)
Cambridge by means of Galvanic Signals.
1853 Sept. 10 On Decimal Coinage. Athenaeum.
1853 Dec. 14 Description of the Transit Circle of the
Royal Observatory, Greenwich. (App.
Gr. Observ. 1852.)
1853 Dec. 14 Regulations of the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich. (App. Gr. Observ. 1852.)
1854 Jan. 14 On the Telegraphic Longitude of Brussels. Athenaeum.
1854 Feb. 10 Address on presenting the Gold Medal of R. Astr. Soc.
the R. Astr. Soc. to Mr Charles Rümker. (Month. Not.)
1854 Feb. 25 On Reforms in the University of Cambridge. Athenaeum.
1854 Apr. 15 Letters relating to "The Late M. Mauvais." Liter. Gaz.
1854 June 3 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1854 Sept. The Deluge. Private.
1854 Oct. 28 On the Correction of the Compass in Iron Athenaeum.
Ships. (Scoresby's Experiments.)
1854 Nov. 10 On the Difference of Longitude between R. Astr. Soc.
the Observatories of Brussels and Greenwich, (Memoirs.)
as determined by Galvanic Signals.
1855 Jan. 1 Lecture at S. Shields on the Pendulum
Experiments in the Harton Pit, and
Letter on the Results.
1855 Feb. 2 Lecture on the Pendulum Experiments R. Inst.
lately made in the Harton Colliery for
ascertaining the mean Density of the
Earth.
1855 Feb. 3 On the Correction of the Compass in Iron Athenaeum.
Ships. (Remarks on Dr Scoresby's
Investigations.)
1855 Address on presenting the Medal of the R. Astr. Soc.
R. Astr. Soc. to the Rev. William Rutter (Month. Not.)
Dawes.
1855 Feb. 15 On the Computation of the Effect of the Phil. Trans.
Attraction of Mountain Masses, as
disturbing the Apparent Astronomical
Latitude of Stations in Geodetic Surveys.
1855 June 2 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1855 Oct. 18 Address to the Individual Members of the
Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich. (Equatoreal.)
1855 Nov. 21 Remarks upon certain Cases of Personal R. Astr. Soc.
Equation which appear to have hitherto (Memoirs.)
escaped notice, accompanied with a Table
of Results.
1855 Nov. 22 Discussion of the Observed Deviations of Phil. Trans.
the Compass in several Ships, Wood-built
and Iron-built: with a General
Table for facilitating the examination of
Compass-Deviations.
1855 Description of the Reflex Zenith Tube of
the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. (App.
to the Greenwich Obs. for 1854.)
1856 Jan. 9 On Professor Peirce's Criterion for Astr. Journ.
discordant observations. (Cambr.)
1856 Jan. 24 Account of Pendulum Experiments undertaken Phil. Trans.
in the Harton Colliery, for the
purpose of determining the Mean Density
of the Earth.
1856 June 7 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1856 Aug. 25 On Scheutz's Calculating Machine. Phil. Mag.
1856 Aug. 30 Science and the Government. (Reply to Athenaeum.
statements in the Morning Chronicle
about the instrumental equipment of the
Royal Observatory.)
1857 May 8 On the Means which will be available for R. Astr. Soc.
correcting the Measure of the Sun's (Month. Not.)
Distance in the next twenty-five years.
1857 May 12 Knowledge expected in Computers and
Assistants in the Royal Observatory.
1857 June 6 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1857 June 12 On the Eclipse of Agathocles, the Eclipse R. Astr. Soc.
at Larissa, and the Eclipse of Thales. (Memoirs.)
With an Appendix on the Eclipse of
Stiklastad.
1857 June 18 Account of the Construction of the New Phil. Trans.
National Standard of Length, and of its
principal copies.
1857 Dec. 5 Letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge
University regarding Smith's Prizes.
1857 Dec. 7 On the Substitution of Methods founded Camb. Phil. Soc.
on Ordinary Geometry for Methods
based on the General Doctrine of
Proportions, in the treatment of some
Geometrical Problems
1857 Description of the Galvanic Chronographic Gr. Obs. 1856,
Apparatus of the Royal Observatory, App.
Greenwich.
1858 Mar. 8 Suggestions for Observation of the Annular
Eclipse of the Sun on 1858, March 14-15.
1858 Mar. 12 Note on Oltmann's Calculation of the R. Astr. Soc.
Eclipse of Thales. Also On a Method (Month. Not.)
of very approximately representing the
Projection of a Great Circle upon
Mercator's Chart.
1858 May The Atlantic Cable Problem. Naut. Mag.
1858 May 20 Report of the Ordnance Survey
Commission; together with Minutes of
Evidence and Appendix.
1858 June 5 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1858 June 16 On the Mechanical Conditions of the Phil. Mag.
Deposit of a Submarine Cable.
1858 July Instructions and Chart for Observations R. Astr. Soc.
of Mars in right ascension at the (Special.)
Opposition of 1860 for obtaining the
Measure of the Sun's Distance.
1858 Aug. 20 On the Advantageous Employment of Photog. Notes.
Stereoscopic Photographs for the
representation of Scenery.
1858 Nov. 6 On the "Draft of Proposed New Statutes Athenaeum.
for Trinity College, Cambridge."
1858 Nov. 20 Letter to the Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Cambridge, offering the
Sheepshanks Endowment.
1858 Dec. 6 Suggestion of a Proof of the Theorem Camb. Phil. Soc.
that Every Algebraic Equation has a
Root.
1859 Manual of Astronomy--for the Admiralty. Parly. Paper.
1859 Feb. 1 Letter to Lord Monteagle relating to the
Standards of Weights and Measures.
1859 Feb. 4 Remarks on Mr Cayley's Trigonometrical Phil. Mag.
Theorem, and on Prof. Challis's Proof
that Equations have Roots.
1859 Mar. 11 On the Movement of the Solar System in R. Astr. Soc.
Space. (Memoirs.)
1859 Apr. 8 On the Apparent Projection of Stars upon R. Astr. Soc.
the Moon's Disc in Occultations. Also (Month. Not.)
Comparison of the Lunar Tables of
Burckhardt and Hansen with Observations
of the Moon made at the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich.
1859 Apr. 8 On the Apparent Projection of Stars upon R. Astr. Soc.
the Moon's Disc in Occultations. (Memoirs.)
1859 June 4 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1859 June 10 Abstract of Maxwell's Paper "On the R. Astr. Soc.
Stability of the Motion of Saturn's Rings." (Month. Not.)
1859 July 8 Corrections of the Elements of the Moon's R. Astr. Soc.
Orbit, deduced from the Lunar Observations (Memoirs.)
made at the Royal Observatory of Greenwich
from 1750 to 1851.
1859 Sept. 10 On the Invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar. Athenaeum.
(Answer to Mr Lewin.)
1859 Nov. 12 On Iron Ships--The Royal Charter. Athenaeum.
(Answer to Archibald Smith's Remarks.)
1859 Nov. Circular requesting observations of small
Planets.
1859 Dec. 9 Notice of the approaching Total Eclipse of R. Astr. Soc.
the Sun of July 18,1860, and suggestions (Month. Not.)
for observation.
1859 Dec. 12 Supplement to A Proof of the Theorem Camb. Phil. Soc.
that Every Algebraic Equation has a Root.
1860 Jan. 13 Description of the New Equatoreal at the R. Astr. Soc.
Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Also (Month. Not.)
Abstract of an Essay by Gen. T.F. de
Schubert on the Figure of the Earth.
1860 Jan. 28 On the Claudian or Plautian Invasion of Athenaeum
Britain.
1860 Feb. 2 Examination of Navy 2-foot Telescopes at
the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 1860,
Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.
1860 Feb. 11 Report on the Instrumental Equipments Ho. of Commons.
of the Exchequer Office of Weights and (Parly. Paper.)
Measures, as regards the means for
preventing Fraud in the Sale of Gas to
the Public; and on the Amendments which
may be required to the existing Legislation
on that subject.
1860 Mar. 9 Address on the approaching Solar Eclipse R. Astr. Soc.
of July 18, 1860, &c. (Month. Not.)
1860 May 10 Correspondence between the Lords Ho. of Commons.
Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, (Parly. Paper.)
&c., and the Astronomer Royal, relating
to Gas Measurement, and the Sale of
Gas Act.
1860 June 2 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors. And Address to the
Members of the Board in reference to
Struve's Geodetic suggestions.
1860 June 7 Correspondence regarding the Grant of
_£1000_ to Prof. Hansen for his Lunar
Tables.
1860 Sept. 13 Remarks on a Paper entitled "On the
Polar Distances of the Greenwich Transit
Circle, by A. Marth." Addressed to
the Members of the Board of Visitors.
1860 Sept. 22 On Change of Climate, in answer to Athenaeum.
certain speculations by Sir Henry James.
1860 Oct. 20 Circular relating to the distribution of
Greenwich Observations and other
publications of the Royal Observatory.
1860 Nov. 9 Account of Observations of the Total R. Astr. Soc.
Solar Eclipse of 1860, July 18, made (Month. Not.)
at Hereña, near Miranda de Ebro; &c. &c.
1860 Nov. 17 On Change of Climate: further discussion. Athenaeum.
1860 Letters on Lighthouses, to the Commission
on Lighthouses.
1860 Dec. 14 Note on the translation of a passage in a R. Astr. Soc.
letter of Hansen's relating to (Month. Not.)
coefficients.
1861 Feb. 9 On the Temperature-correction of Syphon Athenaeum.
Barometers.
1861 March Results of Observations of the Solar R. Astr. Soc.
Eclipse of 1860 July 18 made at the Royal (Month. Not.)
Observatory, Greenwich, for determination
of the Errors of the Tabular Elements of
the Eclipse. Also Suggestion of a new
Astronomical Instrument, for which the
name "Orbit-Sweeper" is proposed. Also
Theory of the Regulation of a Clock by
Galvanic Currents acting on the Pendulum.
1861 June 1 Report of the Astronomer Royal to the
Board of Visitors.
1861 June 5 On a supposed Failure of the Calculus of Phil. Mag.
Variations.
1861 July Report of a Committee of the R. Soc. on R. Soc.(Proc.)
the advisability of re-measuring the
Indian Arc of Meridian.
1861 Sept. 21 Lecture at Manchester on the Great Solar Athenaeum.
Eclipse of July 18, 1860.
1861 Sept. 21 The same Lecture. London Review.
1861 Oct. Examination Paper for the Sheepshanks
Exhibition.
1861 Nov. 1 Translation of Dr Lamont's Paper "On the Phil. Mag.
most Advantageous Form of Magnets."