The daily union., 1856-01-11

the science OF both of national defence i most
accomplished superintendent is graduate VI our naona
Military Academy, aud the greatest portlon Of lts soss
have received their scientific training in the naval ana
military establishments Of the American government
The Navy Department has lately had the homer OF erect
ing another OF those monuments of science when nave
done much 10 shed credit upon that branch OF our m
tary service both home and abroadwe refer 70 tns
United States Naval Astronomical Expedition TO Chie
under the charge of Lieutenant james NJ Giss untea
States navy authorized by Of Congress under the ad
mnisration of President Polk, and whose results are
given to the world in appropriate FORM under that Of
/ President Pierce
We better state the purposes and objects Of the
expedition than by quoting paragraph two from re-
port submitted the House of Representatives of the 3oth
Congress- behalf of the Committee Naval Affairs by
the Hon r. r. Stanton of Tennessee TO whose able and
Jealous efforts the success Of the is n small de-
gree TO be attributed;
1T proposed foot expedition to the most
southern available position the western continent for the
purpose making observations the planet Venus during
the period her rerograde notion conjunction with sim
liar be made the Observatory this city,
with view to the accurate determination OF the solar
paraax which involves only the distance OF our own
planet from the SUM- but the dimensions of the orbits OF all
the bodies of the solar system These observations sue
cessiuy made in the proposed will present data
solely american for and independent determination OF
this Important elementan element which enters into
ali determinations OF longitude affecting the
aud safety all such calculations and therefore possessed Of
the highest possible utility not only to the government but
to all the enerpsng citizens Of country In this view
the expedition commends itself for encouragement
and efficient aid in its promotion y has been proposed BY
zeal industry and ability ia astronomical OBJ
servatons whose personal efforts will not be wanting to
| bring it to a successful issue.
'The fact that quantity essential to accurate
knowledge of the solar system the suns paraax should
for its determination mainly observations OF sin
gle transit of Venus in lI69s sufficiently
indicative of the necessity and high value of the proposed
So important for this purpose in the eyes OF as
ronomes deemed this transit and the previous but IN
feror OF 76 that lind them scattering themselves
all parts of the hababe globe wherever the phenom
could be advanageouy observed In lI6l they occu-
pied stations from the remoest regions Of Siberia to the
southern extremity Of Africa in the wds Of Arabia, and on
the islands OF the Indian In lI6S with even greater
ZEAL they scattered Europe America and the South
Sea islands, observe Of the rarest most interesting
and important phenomena which the annals Of astronomical
afford. Not only the learned societies. but the gov
Of Europe encouraged and aided the laudabe un
dertakng And even in that day, American
shared in the abor and reaped their portion Of the honor
of the great oscason yet the zeal Of all not rewarded
| with success" aa5.a#-Ha
Lieut. Gillss whom previous labors had already made
most favorably known TO the astronomical world
highly successful culvaor of the sciences and
practsed and expert observer happily selected take
charge of the expedition and the result has shown that
fortunate choice could hardly have been made Aid
ed in part through the beralty Of the Smithsonian ns
tuition by the best instrumental facilities which modern
mechanical science could supply and the counsel of the
ables of the age he has only completed
| in manner which leaves nothing to be desired the
special observations which formed the leading object of
the expedition but be has added to them multitude
Of other celestial determinations of great and permanent
scientific value and has availed himself Of the leisure and
opportunity afforded by occasional inevitable Interrupt
tions Of bis astronomical labors collect great fund of
novel and interesting information upon the physical civil
and political history of Chile and thus to contribute large
ly to almost every branch of human knowledge which is
capable of illustration from the nature the annals of that
republic.
The reductions and preliminary calculations for de-
termination of the important problem which is receive
new solution from the observations OF Lieut. Gs have
been completed and placed n the hands of that able
tronomer and analyst Dr. b A. Could for final discussion
The observations calculations and results will form the
third volume of Lieut. Giisss report and the appearance
of this volume which anxousy expected by all the
tares Of astronomical science may be looked for
early day.
The amount of the astronomical and meteorological la
bors Of Lieut. Giss and his assistants aud the zeal and
selfdevotion with which they performed may be in
some degree estimated from the following extracts from
the FIRST volume OF the report PIP. SOC, 507, sos
During the and autumn months succeeding our
arrival there almost uninterrupted fine weather. From
the 10th December when the equatorial ready for
use followed night unrivaed in serenity and to the
close the frat series OF observations the planet Mars
January 3here but four unsuited to work. Labor
80 continuous in climate dry almost oven told
yerely on unaccmated constitutions and II per-
ceived that the principal assistant must be temporarily
leased, be broken down. perhaps permanently. The OPP
portunty send him Valparaiso for the meridian circle
was therefore, welcome one; aud Messrs. Hunter and
Smith recorded for alternate nights until the former
disabled by being thrown from horse All the aid then
was from Mr. Smith besides which duty he became wholly
charged with the meteorological observations for every third
hour between IN. and midnight Within the fort tycgh,
working nights embraced between the above dates nearly
400 observations OF the planet accumulated and by
the time that series terminated the piers for the meridian
circle we're nay completed the health Of Lieut. MacRae
was reesbsbed and able to give undivided atton
ton erection and adjustment that the instrument
was ready for about the middle Of February.
"But Il be inferred that nights from the 3si
of January passed idly Observations for approximate
place circle had commenced daye before and
ira hours every night spent becoming familiar with
the details Of the superb instrument that Nesss Pitor
Martins from Berlin and thus, by the time it ad
iustmens were perfected both expert In Its manpua
ton Beginning within deg Of the south pole, systematic
sweep Of heavens then commenced 10 belts
"a min. wide. Working steadily towards the zenith
IN