The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-03-04 00:00:00

rity Schools, of which he was secretary, and which were
open, in lack of children of their own country, to those
of Englaod, Scotland and Ireland—without regard to sect
—their only object being to give a useful education
founded in the Bible. Although the funds were flourish-
ing, he had no need to appeal to them for immediate
support, be did hope that at their future meetings they
would take the object they had in view into their con-
sideration, end whether they gave little or much it would
be acceptable to enable them to extend the sphere of the
usefulness of these schools, (Applause.)
IV

Mr. EDWARD HUGHES foilonid up _ale argument in
behalf of the schools in very effecti— ma, and propose?
"The Directors of the WPI-' ' which was, of
course, drank ww-

hoots in very effective tei
s of the Welsh Schools,
‘1 great applause.

Mr. R. HU,HES (of Birkenhead) spoke highly of the
system of the schuols and expressed an opinion that an
extensive and liberal education given to the children of
the poor would bring about a general blessing to the
country. _ _

Many other toasts and sentiments were
responded to, and many excellent songs su

en and ably
, in Welsh

entertainment went off with a spirit of
i-rn and fellowship rarely carried out un
such a length of time at a convevial meeting

iterruptedly for

THE NEW OBSERVATORY

The Observatory, recently erected by the Corporation,
near the south-west corner of the Waterloo Dock, and a
few yards from the river wall, has become an object of
considerable interest to nautical and astronomical men;
and as it is not yet generally known, we have availed our-
selves of the politeness of ,the Superintendent, Mr. Hart-
nup, (who, a few days ago, showed us through the build-
ing,) to furnish a few particulars of its progress and plant
so far, the whole being, to a certain extent, yet incomplete
in internal fittings and instruments, though already well

adapted for the practical purposes for which it was esta-
blished.
The building is of handsome I

,ewn red free

:e, two

stories in height. The principal front is to the south, with
a central semicircular projection, part of that portion in-
tended for an equatorial instrument. There is a smaller
frontage to the west, affording a fine view of the river and
the Cheshire shore, from several of the rooms of the Su-
plrintendent, whose domicile is included in the basement
story. The premises are chiefly distinguishable by an
elevated iron post or staff, surmounted by letters on an

horizontal cross, indicating the precise cardinal points of
the compass; and; by a large black signal ball. tnoteable
on the staff, the use of which we shall hereafter explain.
Proceeding from the lobby of the superintendent's
house we were shown into " THE CHRONOMETER
Room," a small but appropriately fitted apartment,
chiefly for the reception of those fine wa,ches so much de-
pended upon by modern navigators for ascertaining the
longitude at se.,, and for the nice manufacture of which

:br ate d as

our own town is. we believe, as justly eel,-
in the kingdom, or in the world. Here chronometers are
carefully and precisely rated ; and though we are not our-
selves cogniz•.nt of the art, an accidental question, put by
us from curiosity, as to whether peculiar temperatures, or
transitions from heat - c '' aff, •'

acted these delicate ot.
durable machines, elicited a reply from the Superintend-
ent, to the effect that it was so, in some instances, where
the watch was not accurately compensated to meet expan-
sion and contraction ; and that from this (then) cold
room he occasionally took chronometers into his warmer
parlour below ; noted the difference in their going in the
two climates, and, in delivering them back, advised the
owners of the same, so that th-y might make the due al-
lowance, as a difference of a few miles might "-
sions, endanger the safety of the ship. _
saw a chronometer that had been made eighty years ago,
and which still kept time as well as ever,—a proof, by the
way, that with all our habitual vaunting, we had not, in
some fine sciences, so far outstepped our forefathers, as is
generally supposed. In the same room there is fixed a
very fine barometer, by our towsman, Mr. Adie, of Bold-
street. It is the finest and largest instrument of the kind
we have ever seen, and reads to even thousandth-parts of
an inch. The tube which cctttains the Mercury is nearly
an inch in diameter. The effect is, we learn, much greater
precision than can be attained by barometers of smaller

In This room we

dimensions in indicating the atmospheric pressure

We next passed into THE TRANSIT Room," in which
there is a most valuable transit instrument, of five feet in
length, and with a four-inch object.glags. This is scien-
tifically adjusted between two Portland stone pillars, with.
all the appliances for rectitude in any position which mo-
dern mechanical ingenuity can devise. The axes may
with ease be reversed, and the three corrections eliminated
and applied to each observation, so as to render it what it
would have been had it been made with the instrument-
exactly in the meridian. The instrument is, with its two
supports, cruciform, and resembles a cannon on its car-
riage. It is a "great gun," however, which, without
powder, has a prodigious " reach." A star of the third..
magnitude may be distinctly seen by it at noon day, or at
any other time when the weather is clear; but we had not
the good fortune to enjoy such a treat, as the day of our
visit was both cloudy and hazy. By this instrument the
precise "time" may be accurately obtained at any hour,
in fine weather, by observations of the standard stars,
then observable. An ingenious couch enables the spects,--.
tor to recline at ease on his back in making observations;
and while in this position, the party may readily turn the
instrument with his hand, so finely is it poised, although
it weighs nearly a hundred-weight. In this room, and .
within sight when observations are being taken, there is
in a corner a very valuable siderial clock, and another
fine astronomical clock, hiving the mean time, is within
hearing; being in the adjoining chronometer room ; so that
the one tray he compared with the other by coincident
beating. In proof of the degree of accuracy with which
time may be obtained by the transit instrument, and of
terwards kept by these clocks, we were informed that one.
second is the greatest error that the ball has been subject
todlincc its erection, note ithstanding that during Inv
we er this winter, a week on several occasions elapsed
without a sight being obtained.
The SIGNAL BALL is-for the purpose of giving the true,
time once daily, for the benefit of captains and others
having chronometers. It is elevated by very ingenious
machinery within a conical wooden structure in an area
within the premises. A windlass is employed to wind it
up to its elevation shortly before one o'clock each day,
and precisely at one o'clock by G eenwich mean time it
is dropped. This is done instantanecusly by the Super-.
intenderit, who watches the moment in the chronometer-
room, and by pressing a trigger there fixed in a small re-
cess in the wall, and communicating by rods, &c. with
the apparatus by which the ball is suspended aloft, it is
instantly thrown out of gear, and drops somewhat in the
manner of the ram,.or hammer, of a piling machine. So
accurately is the time taken, that could the eye reach over
such a distance, the ball, and that at the Greenwich Ob-
servatory, would be seen to drop simultaneously.
We next visited " The Equatorial Room," necessarily
yet unfinished, it being destined for a fine equatorial in-
strument, which is not yet received from the maker. This
room has now a temporary wooden roof, but it will here-
after be covered by a revolving spherical dome, as the in-
strument is purposed to range round the whole circuit el
the horizon. In the apartment below this room, and
reaching to its full height, there is erected a massive solid
:Anne pier, upon which the equatorial instrument is-to be
kr al. This pier we found to be thirteen feet.and a halt
in length, with rounded or segmental ends, and five feet
in thickness. It is founded on the solid rock, as the slightest
giving way would render inaccurate the observations on so
delicate an instrument. The officers attached to the tri-
gonometrical survey have erected a wooden mark on the-
roof of this room, with a view to obtain the correct lati-
tude and longitude of the spot,—which is already taken as-
tronomically ' • and it will be interesting to see how this
will agree with the results of the survey.
The primary object of the Observatory is not so much
for general astronomical observations, or possiblediscove-
ries—though it is applicable to that also—as for the prac-
tical purpose of ascertaining the true time, for the accu-
rate rating of ships' chronometers ; in other words, for the
immediate use and benefit of this port in this respect—a
desideratum which has long been wanted, and which it is
creditable in the Corporation. following in the wake of ad-
vancing science in other parts, to supply. We entertain
no doubt but it will be found to be highly beneficial to
nautical men, and also to eronemeter makers in the town
who have not the same means and leisure to attain,the
true time, though it has given rise to some little jealousy
in the first instance amongst some of them who posssse

transit instruments, and rate chronometers.
An opinion has been expressed, by some parties,. that
the situation is not so favourable a one as might Intvebeen
selected ; but from what we learn from the superinten.ient4-
.

and froM scientific men who have visited it, a; well as fr 0.70
our own conceptions, (which we edmit are of but secon-
dary eonsideration,) we believe that a better site could not
lave been chosen on this side of the river. It must be
admitted that during easterly winds, which are here gene-
rally ae.zompanied by haze, and have moreover a tendency
to drive the smoke of a portion of the town over the spot
—the situation is not so favourable as might be desired.
It is, however, known to astronomers that easterly winds,
in this country, are not suitable for good definition, so that
the disadvantage is equally felt elsewhere within the
realm. But, as a set off, easterly winds are not generall'
prevalent in this quarter, though. we haro had more than.
our usual proportion• of them during the past wintea
months this season. Westerly winds—taking the average
ofyeats—are more prevalent here, and these generally.
bring a clear atmosphere, and carry off the smoke and
other impurities of the atmosphere, rendering it suitable-
for the minutest observations. The Observatory is, be-
sides adjacent to the great mass of the shipping; and ae-
our highest tides occur about, or soon after mid-day, and'
the building is nearest to the north end of the town, which
all ships in going out must pass, captains have an oppor-
tunity, by looking out, of correctly noting true Greenwich%
tints at ohs o'clock.

The reason -for adopting the Greenwich mean time is-
that all the calculations given in The Nautical Alma-
neck, published by the Admiralty, and most correctly•
given in that valu,ble work, are adapted to that time. no
ball drops at about twelve minutes before one o'clock by
Liverpool time. The difference of longitude between the
Observatory and that of Greenwich is twelve minutes and•
two-tenths of a second, so that the ball drops as nearly as-
possible by that time before ore o'clock, for the meridian
of this Observatory.
The Superintendent politely skewed us the books in-
which the several and frequent observations are duly re-
gistered, together with his logarithmic calculations. There
is a printed form, applicable to the standard stars, ruled in-
Columns, and regullrly filled up. These documents are
extremely interesting to those who study the sublime
science of astronorny, acid exhibit much industry in the
Superintendent, who evidently petseveres in his vocation •
con e
cG nble r e
person.
Tle a r
upon
t t
ro h
uel n
9 re- 4 --1;
s
n on them as
an astrooomer.
In fine, we wrre much gratified by a visit to the este-- eg: 477
otl competent the
ai inspection
of
an
blishment, and doubt not hut when its merits becorle osit.
fatly developed, its utility will become duly appreciated b ••ip 4r,
the public at large, V:-
4E41