Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-06-21

management of naDai officers, where, in the prac.
teal pursuit Of the highest known branch of science
they would compel an acknowledgment Of abilities
hitherto withheld from the SERVICE" The instru.
ments being OF the highest character both as TO mag
nitude and execution, the first question presented is
who are TO use theml Itwould unquestionably be
better to have permanent observers but, in SO do
ing, the knowledge would be confined to few
officers, and not disseminated in the Navy. On the
other hand frequent changes will assuredly DESTROY
Its efficiency as an observatory, by impairing the
confidence of astronomers in its results necessarily
acquired but by long and laborious experience
The proper qualifications of the officers 10 be
employed, and the objects, astronomical naagnefi
cal, and meteorological, to which their attention
should be directed, are then discussed and the re-
port takes brief survey Of the labors and the dis
coveries of the elder and younger Herschel and
other modern astronomers. In this connection.
whilst alluding to the difficulties attending the cor
rect observation and representation of nebua, Mr..
GILLIss says The difficulty has been obyiated,
however, and science Of .our own day. rendering
Nature subservient to art, leaves nothing for the
Judgment OF the astronomer or the tool Of the en-
: graver by which to misrepresent the works of the
Z Creator. Fortunately, the Roman astronomers
: have hit on means effectually to prevent future
mistakes of vision or delineaton. They have
brought the daguerreoype to bear on the object,
and, throwing the Photographic image Of the nebuIae
andts stars on the photographic stone, have by an in
genious invention of Signor Rondon, which is still
! kept secret, fired it there From that stone they
have been enabled to take impressions on paper,
unlimited in number, of singular beauty, and of
perfect precision; each star, each filmy nebulous
streak, faithfully depicting its own position the ef-
iects wonderful, and is heightened by being thrown
: on beautiful deep azure ground Copies Of
some of these remarkable engravngs have been pre-.
scented to the Observatory by Professor CuRLEY, Of
Georgetown College 81 need not recommend"
says Mr.. GILLIss, that the apparatus be obtained
SO soon as it is divulged the facilities it offers of
delineating the surface of the moon, and tracing
from day to day the motion of the spots over the
suns DISC must be sufficiently obvious
We>have thus rapidly run through the contents of
this interesting document. Our survey has, per-
haPs, been full enough to crafty the general reader,
and to induce the more scientific one to obtain
closer acquaintance with its details. The establish
ment OF this Observatory being one Of the first tri-
butes which the Government of the United States
has paid to science, may we trust be hailed as the
earnest OF many and more extensive ones to come.
Lieut.. GnLIss appears to have discharged the du-
ties committed to him with ability, fidelity and zeal
We have no doubt but that, under the direction of
his talented successor, Lieut. MAURY,a rich harvest
OF important scientific information will constantly
return an amply remunerating interest for the COM
paratively trifing cost which the Observatory and
It's valuable contents have been to the nation.