ess 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 C