struments 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 Goettingen 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."

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The f