The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-22
ASfIoSeHICAL DHCcVRRIES IN AMERICA.
Ehs Asersnsmical Obss, vatery or Harvard
COnege.

~>~~>~~~>~~>~>~~~~~~
Ehe AsersnsmScal Obsss vategy or Harvard
COnegs.
From the chrinuAa Exsninsrl
In all ages Of the world, and in al countries with
which We are conversn', the hrmameat has been |
ontemplated with awe "Day unto day uttereth /
speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge; |
there u no speech nor language where their voice |
10 not heard" The haadi work of Omnipstence il |
recognized by the savage and the sage,-the shep-
herds Of Asia aud the Swans OF Europe.
The vast accesslons 10 our stock OF astronomical |
knowledge which have distinguished the last half |
century, and the deep ami apidlng interest which |
there requirements have aspned on this side Of the
Atlantic, have I~ cesssnly gwen To Institutions, |
strictly Astronomical, a position and value, TO
which just view OF their Importance, IN most OF
the great concerns OF lite, has at all times entitled
them. In tracing tho Progress of American dis
coveries we can scaIc-iy persuade ourselves that
oAly twenty-five years have elapsed since President
John Quincy Adams, IN his ntst annual message TO
Congress, urged upon that most unsclentihc body
the establishment " national observatory At
that period, was stated by the President, while
on the comparatively small territorial surface Of
Europe there were naudrt d and thirty observa-
torres, there was Dot one IA our whole country;
important as was the scf nee TO the growing COM
mercs OF the county, : year after year the earth
rolled on IN perpetual 6ark0e TO the uRsearchng
eyes OF Qne malt ct he globe" Still more difficult
il is 10 6Sheve, thai the Proposition, fraught IT
was with The char cteilstil ador OF that lustrous
patron OF science, met Oay the ridicule Of the
country. LcDgtn II day, however, enabled the
vcts ran to sweep The helvens with his own eye,
IN his own Stale, by ueans vieing with those of all
Europe.
The establishment OF an astronomical observa-
tory connected with Harvard University, was an
early proposition OF me lace Df Bowdltch, and
committee, cops,stng % himself and Professor
FHrrar, was 6ppolntea, ire year 1916, to procure
instruments In view of me Immediate erection OF
a suitable building. be present director of the
observatory, beng shout 10 visit England, was
requested BY the corpoTetioa of the college to
m
obtain plans and ilafss adapie 10 the wants Of
the insii,uuop. TINS vas done, and the result was
reported TO the co,itge government; but IL being
impoes. bic TO secure he services Of the first work.
men in Europe, he wDoe matter was permitted TO
rect Ia 1923, AID a. sin Ia 1925, President Adams,
then Secretary OF sac, urged upon the corpora
ton the erection OF slidlng, even though instru-
ments cvuid not oe imms ei4tely procured, and, to
promote this end, he proposed al both these periods
70 subscribe one THOUSAND dollars himself, pro-
vided the requisite sum could be raised but the
attempt proving nefi- ctuai, no further action was
bad iii the autumn OF 1859. To astronomers,
William y. Bond, ESq q! Dorchester had been
long hvoIa6y Known as a esiiful and diligent
observer. With few INSTRUMENTS, in a retired
but beautiful Fosl;Ioa, :. the world forgetting"
he spent much OF the night IN OBSERVING and col
iecuBg celestial phenomena; and though closeiy
occupi' during the uab m an erdIou5 Calling ia
the cIiyof Boston. eel pse occuitation escaped
his aitsnt Tn authorities al Washington had
secured his services III stfies OF astronomical
and magnetic obseg stions, corresp ondng with
those which we're 10 DC made by the Exploring
EXPEDITION. Ine-e, st'h only a tritiiRg remuner-
alton, aided BY much l1neDted son, he was
prosecuting with unparalleled zeal, when the Cor
pofaucn OF the Ool -, 81 ae suggestion OF Presi-
cent Quincy, prOpCs 10 ann, with the consent of
the Unlteo States govrruGi,Dt, TO transfer all his
instruments ana spp-retus TO Cambridge. He
yleloed To this plan ~lth91 prospect of p@cuniary
reward, ana though mere fraction of the observa-
TORS mace here anu ~ oorches'Cr has been pub
hshed, The volumes - me Transactions OF the
Anne Acads M - Aus end Sciences bear tes-
d 4 fu.l rt pf Ia
hopes, however, Rested Upon the prospect, which
he has since kagplt rea1z-d, OF having al some
day, the managemen OF such instruments as
ME ets as an observer md ssll IN the adj ustment
OF lns ruMents justly entitled HIN TO enjoy, and
which wouid iencer h,in useful 10 science.
Convenient hosss was procured near the Colleges,
and smaller buildings ~ers erected on the
rounding grounds ior me Transit and magnetic
observations. The ns'rume1ts conveyed from
Dorchester the pr0pf nv OF he observer consisted
OF a. excellent tourfoot Transit, sul in good
condition, an altitude and szimuth instrument.
one 1.-TWO achronisucs, Gauss deciination mag
netoneter, nsg0euc dlp circle, a sldereal CLOCK,
besioes chronom. tcrs, na he usual meteorological
lnsi1me IL aodtiioa 10 these, the Amstican
Academy had purcnat n SIT Of LlOyi's magnetic
apparatus, Hnu placed II al The disposal Of w q.
Bond Thus rqnit feo. The ccrrse of observations
consisted OF the uaurt If stars for time, and the
correction OF instrumental rrrors, moon culmina-
tons with mo, cgiul mating star. carried through
the eI ire Iurauoae. O1cuit4lons Of stars by the
moon, monthly tsrm d-y observations of Loyd's
ceciBet:op insuumeat, ar1 horizontal and vertical
fierce m gnetouster onttaied through the whole
twenty tour hours. lHr later were made BY
Gauss msgnetomster. nd -omeumes ia connection
with Lloy IL. VI neurological observations wer,
constantly KEEP mp, atd part o. the time were
made hourly la th- lgRruc observations the
Mestrs Bond were occN ionally assisted by Poo-
fessors PIERCE ann Losrrieg; hut the entire family
Of the director were occasionally pressed into the
service, though n chief oid was derived from Inc
eldest con. THE .Xcvfcl' ~ n devoted the brief
period Of HE existence to the promotion Of mis- ia
he's ~ inf la md he
accuracy II his results Wi ne an enduring monu-
uent To bis hieHts. we'll as 70 his skill aud APP
plIcsu'n Deayh o-lrytd he father OF the
Ucee OF the tou ia November, l-iZ III pl ace has
been ID niraofy hi,d by his brother, George z.
Bond, of whom W soon 60 speak
part ~ the astronomical observations made al
this establishment have BEEN published Monthly IN
the proceedings OF he Am, rcan Academy. Copies
OF greaisr Rambler, however, are 10 the hands of
Captain W,tss 81 tn- Exploring Expedition, and
OF Sssrs q. Walker, E.q, 81 the Coast survey, TO
be used IN TIE dslttn luotl9n or the Longitude Of
various ia lens the Pacific and dante co Asts.
Some of the magnetic observations are contained
IN the Me moirs - the Academy, and some have
been publish by COloa,i : ihine /; bat much the
larger portion remains unpublished.
Neither the Cof.sr@ ION ~ the College, nor the
henfs ct ssirono m'csi seience generally, were
satisfied with The telescopes which had bern placed
al the dsposai OF air nd. Indeed, the College
had hib.fto f1iush,d 90 instrument tier than
those removed from Dorchester, and even the cor
urgelt ekfsBrts OF thu establishment were paid
from the persona iessufcrs 81 the Director. This
wac no less source Of une ssHess 10 the College
then TO the observer, aad - isDg IL was concud-
ed 90 erect a hutistrg suiisble Tor the sccommoda-
ton of IN equatorial lefraotor Of the largest ca.s
and forihviih to order the instrument This design
ives lslRy promoted ~ the appearances Of the
grea comet OF iSi3 Tie limits Of this article will
not somn Of a cetsi o. the steps that were taken
TO effect the drstsbie object Il IL sii Gent for
ourpUrpose howeyrr, ~ s8y What lad. ed is krown
TO the friends a he observatory, that the expense
OF the present institution was net by the united
contributors If he College and Of the American
Acads nv, and - individuals. trends of science,
citizens OF Bosioo and it, vicinity, DESTROYS Of
securing the services OF The present director.
The huilcpg 10 -esultfgy situated on an emf
nence nifty feet allow. the level OF the surrounding
country, and distaEt three quarters q mile. IN a
northwest Director, from the college buildings
The ecihce, CONSISTING bItherto Of the centre
building or tower. turmoutN,d by the dome which