one, 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 Obs