The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-22 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THI DAILY NEWS.

Slit,—The Committee of the Lawson Observatory
notice with considerable regret the effect of the letters
(iigned by Sir James South and Mr. J. R. Hind) which
you have copied into your journal of Saturday. The con-
tents of those communications do not appear by any means
to necessitate the abandonment of the plan for securing the
proposed observatory. A careful perusal of them will in-
dicate that Mr. Hind feels some degree of hesitation while
he writes, at which the committee do not feel much sur-
prised, seeing that he hu been in communication
with Mr. Lawson during the past two years
upon the proposed gift of these instruments. From
1 the high value which he (Mr. Hind) set upon them,
the committee deduced the fact that while they intimated
the ides that the sum fur the building and endowment
might be limited for the present to six or seven thousand
pounds, Mr. Hind recommended in the first instance that at
least ten thousand pounds, and shortly afterwards ten or
twelve thousand pounds, was the sum requisite, in his
opinion, for constructing and endowing an observatory
worthy of Mr. Lawson's " unprecedented liberality"—
"an observatory on a seals of usefulness that would do
honour to yourself (Mr. Lawson), and the locality which
may be fortunate enough to raise the funds." After ex-
pressing himself on this wise—(the committee quote from
only one letter, Feb. 26, 1852 ; others under date January,
March, and September, 1852, seem to the committee to
imply an equally high value of the instruments on the part
of Mr. Hind)—you, sir, and the public, will not be
surprised that the committee are not disposed
to relinquish their labours merely because of Mr.
Hind's professed doubts so suddenly published to
the world without any communication with the
committee upon the subject during the past two years—
that committee, be it observed, including gentlemen who
have been known to him all has life as persons of integrity,
far above any attempt at deception or duplicity, and who
in this matter can have only an important public object in
view.

As to Sir James South's letter, the committee have only
to remark that the sum which has been stated, es to the
value of the instruments, has not been fined by themselves.
Common sense will dictate that it has been considered as a
scientific and not a commercial value. They have no
doubt instruments may be bought, and even made new,
for the sums Sir UMW South states, but they apprehend
that this is not the point when Dolland's Instraatesta are n
question.
The esiamittes unapt be erpected to know why Sir Jas.
South bee anew te write upon this matter, se if it were a
questissaf imam sad sale without reference to the cha-
racter of tie snide, rather than looking at it with the calm
and philesephie eye of a practised astronomer.
In eseeinsiens eseemitese have reason to hope they
shall be In NisOleei in Nord to the efforts necessary to be
put lull to mote to a successful termination as
to promote the mete Menet. of science, and to carry
out the views ale Mr. Lewes. in ale his instruments,
and at the emu limetejuft the eswlietsss of those who
have as* ass Siowwl ',Mintiest's= to issues the..
B. J. LOWS, Hon. See.
Committee Boom, Extheage Hall,
Nottingham, Nov. 21, 1838.