Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-03-27
LIE vERRIERs DISCOVERY OF NEPTUNE.

GENTLEMEN: At lecture recently delivered at the
Smithsonian Institution il said the wreath of fame
for the discovery of Neptune which had been claimed by
France and England, had been borne away from both
countries by mathematician of own" This doubt
less refers to that most marvellous made
before the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in
Boston by Professor PIERCE, Of Cambridge, who said lie
Verriers discovery of this planet but happy
cident The paper read by him before that eminent
ciety published in the Boston Daily Advertiser without
comment has had in some sort the sanction of its
and it is due to the reputation of the gentlemen present
state the in which il made and received, as
we were told it by gentleman of the society present.
SO soon as Professor PIERCE had made his calculations
Tor more properly speaking had gone over those made
by SEARS WALKER of the Coast Survey Bureau in this
city, whom the world Of science is indebted for the
orbit Of Neptune published by the Smithsonian Insttd
on and had satisfied himself of their correctness to
the Of the planet he wrote his paper and so anxious
he not to be anticipated that he called special meet
ing Of the Academy, which held at the residence Of
DR.. JAMES JACKSON, in Pemberton Square, at which,
among Others the President Dr. JACOB BIoELow the Hon.
EDWARD EvERErr and Francis c. GRAY were present.
After Professor PIERCE had completed the reading Of
his paper Mr. EVERETT and said q" should be very
sorry for the reputation Of young and rising mahe
matcian II he should be found in hope he will
very carefully look the subject before he publishes
his remarks" And, after some extended observations
Of the manner adopted by lie verer in obtaining his
suits, he said n me, Mr.. President, that Prof
Pierce ua ndn difficult By his arorite science Of ma
ematcs, 10 represent The high improba5ilny Of his
resmts"
Mr.. EvERErr was followed by Mr.. GRAY, who, having
discussed the question, said 1t seems strange,
Mr. President that any should represent this
accidental discovery. It is to me very improbable that
lie verrer could have calculated the exact spot in the
heavens to which the telescope should be pointed and
the time within eight seconds when 1t would the
wires Of the telescope without feeling confident Of the
correctness Of the result" Professor PIERCE asked
" If the Of Neptune should not be sufficient to
count for the pururbatons of Uranus and another pa
net should be discovered whether that too would be lie
verrisr's discovery To which Mr.. GRAY replied
That II more necessary, and second planet
should be discovered he should still regard this second
planet as part Of lie verriers discovery" And such
appeared to be the prevailing sentiment Of the members
present.
The claims Of England to the discovery Of lie verrer
very like its claims to the reading Of the characters
on the Rosetta stone by Champollion. An that be
said is this If Astronomer Royal Amr had examined the
calculations submitted to him. and II he had set his OBJ
servers to the search for Neptune instead Of wasting their
time looking after undiscovered cometary bodies
then Mr.. ADAMS might perhaps have won this honor to
himself; or II Dr. LAMONT had kept his telescope upon
this very planet the night of the 25th October 1885,
instead Of looking of to mark Il down az star Of tho
ninth magnitude, to him the glory Of this discovery would
have accrued; or again, to the gentlemen on the
9TH September 1896 when this chance second time pre-
scented ITSELF it had done to Lalande half century
before. 4sse
We are glad for the progress Of science every where,
49,
honor as is won by learned calling the discovery
which has filed the world with wonder and sdniration
Ca happy accident" s CIV.
WAsruorox MARCH %, 1862. fesHteN