eme range being about 6
seconds. I cannot offer any explanation of this.'--Under the head of
Extraneous Works the Report states that 'The British Government had
for some years past contributed by pecuniary grants to the preparation
of Prof. Hansen's Lunar Tables. In the last winter they undertook the
entire expense of printing a large impression of the Tables. The
reading of the proof-sheets (a very considerable labour) has been
effected entirely at the Observatory. I may take this opportunity of
stating that the use of these Tables has enabled me, as I think,
incontestably to fix the capture of Larissa to the date B.C. 557, May
19. This identification promises to prove valuable, not merely for its
chronological utility, but also for its accurate determination of an
astronomical epoch, the point eclipsed being exactly known, and the
shadow having been very small.'--In April I gave a lecture to the
Royal Astronomical Society on the methods available through the next
25 years for the determination of the Sun's parallax.--Dr
Livingstone's observations for African longitudes were computed at the
Observatory.--The Admiralty enquire of me about the feasibility of
adopting Piazzi Smyth's construction for steadying telescopes on board
ship: I gave a Report, of mixed character, on the whole
discouraging.--I had correspondence with G.P. Bond and others about
photographing the Stars and Moon.--On Feb. 17th Piazzi Smyth's books,
&c. relating to the Teneriffe Experiment were sent to me: I
recommended that an abridged Report should be sent to the Royal
Society.--Respecting the Sheepshanks Fund: there was correspondence
with Miss Sheepshanks and Whewell, but nothing got into shape this
year: Miss Sheepshanks transferred to me _L10,000_ lying at Overend
and Gurney's.--In November experiments were made for the longitude of
Edinburgh, which failed totally from the bad state of the telegraph
wire between Deptford and the Admiralty.--In June the first suggestion
was made to me by Capt. Washington for time-signals on the Lizard
Point: which in no long time I changed for the Start Point.--The
Admiralty call for estimates for a time-ball at Portsmouth: on
receiving them they decline further proceeding.--I was engaged in
speculations and correspondence about the Atlantic Submarine
Cable.--In the Royal Astronomical Society, I presented Memoirs and
gave lectures on the three great chronological eclipses (Agathocles,
Thales, Larissa)."--On Dec. 5