New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-01-10

,s.u,s Of tber Investigations published, which nav
certainly be taken evidence aganst any sprit
of exciusiveness. Here In an account OF one suen
ease;
A few year, ago new planet, DoF known oy the
name Of Neptune. vas discovered 10 rem nKspie
MAILER. Its place was indicated by man so-heh ie
auctions from irregularities observed % tne n)'a u
tie planet Uranus sJd neD toe gis OF ths oot5rf
OF ss pointed 70 the heavens in tse proper drecoo
the a.et vss found in the precise place Tach hSl
been predicted The news Of the discovery, ana t9e
manner ia which il ives efec1ed, produced HVsy
senssiion throughout the world. The prehcpoh'
which led 70 the actual discOvery were msle ih.'a
neousy, be, iDdepeDdsnl y' by tTo tiosn ~
I@verrier in France, ano Adams 10 reg ah9' i'ey
no, ~ v ronted out the direction in which the paeet
wss 10 W. found bii from a priori eonslierdtoo..
gaye the dne DsiOns form ana POSITION oi ne or
ulicb described or md the sun. lac direction 10
oioaed a. stated before. sss the true one bu me
S,,n ard dimensions Of the orbit we're widely differ
Ut from tho-e subsequently fouEd 10 beions - the
neal orbit q the planet.
MI S.ar, G. Walker, OF the N4tionsl Obssrva-
.orv was 1sriicuiarly Interested 10 tins discovery,
and Immediately conn eLced series Of lnVest51-
tons il refereLce 10 il after the motions OF the
Planet had been accurately observed for shout i'nr
months ouing which time j. had pss.e1 through ies-
b.n the 900 per OF ts VII Die rcut round ne ~,
be calculate on orbit from these obssrvat5ns Of IT,
ic.us motion. which enabled him 70 trace ~ pal
fmoI q the stars Of the vanit, throw i-' " r'yp-
luion end 10 c8ry ia position bsc. ward dltl y tel
within tie clutter o. smell stars which had been sc'
as, c4Itury Aner minute ard critical lnvestg atom
be wss led 70 believe that one OF the stars repre-
sertd On the map of Leland, which ni1 been Oh
f4ryed by hiu on The III znt % May TO- 1913, was tue
rianet \, plume. The weather, a. the time THIS ln-
i.res,irg conclusion arrived Al, stormy, TIE
beavens rad been clouded for weeks whom be pl.c-d
IL the hsnos Of the Secretary OF the lo'ltuuoo
feaed package cor ian'Dg aD count ~ nls Ttsuir'
ard oihers were given TO different persors. On the
frst cle n 1T the tel, scope Of the Observatory was
ditet,fd 10 toe bsaveus. The result wa, all the
slsfs mspp,a by Leland 6ffy ye7rs before were ~
place except one which had been hEet upon IS the
rler.t Neptune Professor Pierce, Of Harvard Uni
yertv yltifed Washington NJ that time and was sep
ticol on the subject. be examined tue map drsEn
BY Leland and ob-erved a query y amxeo 10 inc
u'issiog star To remove this doubt, a request va
made that he original res OF Leland dep js'ed 10
the observatory Paris might be eHapinel' IL was
found that Lelsnd had twice ooserVe1 me sAr "hcu
be BAD recorded and no ObtAriDg preclselythe same
retulis each time and not Dreaming that Il was
planet subject 10 motion he seeo ted of The obser
yatiors for publication and like true phiDsopher
fe plsced query after the star. Want OF time or
sOnc oiber cAuse prevented Leland IRON txamlnipg
il again Had he done So. be would ave discovered
the new planet. Mr.. Walker next calculated wat
tie motion Of the planet ought to be dnnD2 the t"l
weeks Of int rival of the observations OF Leland sud
found il exactly 10 agree with the two places wn'cn
bed been recorded by that astronomer. lie no" haH
observations embracing not few months II the mo-
fou Of the ulnre', hut that Of IN interval 81 my
vosrs. From this data he proposed to dedure the
true eItich orbit, one which the body would dc
scribe. were there 10 Oth.r planet IN the system
Ue had leit the os erya0ry ard could not afford the
necessary tine 10 the mere numerical Calculations
which would be required. The Smithsonian lnstitu-
ton TO his AID and undertook ID deray tue eX-
rouse Of the investigation. IL advanced epOut $500
10 complete the research. Professor Picrce Gvest
gated the action of the other planets Neptune ard
lis results enabled nr Walker, by means Of his
epiical orbit 10 calculate an epheners Of the actual
places of the planet, which bas been received by
al fIa strft ~ 10 "a
which exhibits with precision all the notions of this
Ie~.dscOvcred member Of our soiar system, and
which enables 'be sst onomer TO follow 1t from night
TO light in lis petl au0L the s'ars.
The Aetrou omer- hOs al of England has made 2
series of observations 70 compare The predictions d
the Smhso iaD ephe meris, a. It II GALE d. WI the
actual ylste of the planet ss determined by ooserya
tjop and has stated hat the ephemerls gives the
place with 70 much precision hat difference could
be observed with the mos' powerful telescope be-
tween the place OF the sctual aud the the )reneh
Ilanet. ErJm this account IT IL evident fhtt the
Snithsobi0n IL stltutlOn has assisted IN giving toe
honor 10 this country Of completing one of the most
Interesting 0i,coveries in Astronomy OF the present
century. But, alas this triumph has besn gail ed
at the expense Of a sad bereavement lhe iapor OF
the hvtsngston wa too much for W alAeT, and Scr
ence has 70 mourn his untimely loss.
With regard 10 II library, the present stministra.
ton say ths if half the annual liz )ne $50 OOOl he
expended in the purchase Of books ana he AHEAD
lpt .xpeIt.s i, woud not be hyperion 10 libraries
air. bdy existing in the cOuLtry, Iney nave In ere
fore ATTEMPTED 20 constitute themselves a conm)n
center of Information. by keeping as fall catalogues
possib, Of al the large libraries 10 the country,
ard 10 supply n eur Deficiencies so tha N able M
vestieator, from MoiIe 20 Texas, need abandon his
Investigations for lack Of MEANS
You speak Of the great error maze by the
II stiiutiOn In cultiy sipg those abstruse sudies
which sre inocmpIchebsible 10 the generality Of
"men Let me quote TO you one Instance Of the
practical value of these absttuse studies
If you had seen q man, some years ago, winding
some ELK thread arooDd lol piece Of wire. on &C.
count of some abstuse IDEAS he had in his head You
would mott probably, have advised him 10 throw
then away and 70 betake himself 10 some honest and
productive labor. Had he thrown away the wire and
III. nix probably you would hot have had a slnge
particle 81 that teeerapbic news for which you pay
with such vice hherslity-for IL has been very
clearly proved. all the telegraphc suit+at Law,
that that invented discovered the principle OF
oil Magnetic Telegrsphs He 10 now al the head OF
the Smithsonian Institution, and being scientific
man. II lie nstural that he should favor science more
thar lereipie hut t'ipk If You carefully examine
what has been done and what is propossd, yoa will
zee that your remarks have hardly been Oh sracerzei
by tho. iv,iice which usually distinguishes them.
Very respectfully, in. NJ.