The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-31

Professor Mitchell gave The concluding lecture q M
series full house al the Academy Of Music satur.
day evening, upon invitation, for his benefit Pro
vious TO the lecture the following resoutions-osred BY
Professor Loom and seconded In energetic speech BY
Professor Dayes-were unanimously adopted nv the |
sudience,-
Where's the vast extension Of modern commerce IL
the natural result Of it's increased security, and this
curty is in great degree due 70 improved astronomical
methods by which the position Of shin 1t DO &C
curaey determined from day 10 day; and Whereas we
believe that important advantages may be expected 70
accrue from the continued prosecution Of astronomical Oh
vations while the general diffusion OF astronomical
knowledge must tend TO elevate and refine the public
education IN this city; therefore,
Resolved That the erection Of Astronomical Observa
tory the city Of New York il mperatvey demanded by
whereas, have learned with great pleasure that the
commissioners Of the Central Park avoraby inclined
the opposition TO establish astronomical Observable
ry upon our noble park
Resolved, That such an observatory would be fitting
ornament and GROWING glory of the Central Park
Resolved That ss the amount of the subscrip
non ehall warIant the commencement operations
he Subscribers TO the Observatory fund shall have the
opportunity OF eectng pei mahebt board OF trustees in
pace Of the present provisional one.
After acknowledging the compliment which bad been
paid HIM by the audience in their attendance and the
remarks Of Professor Davies his former tutor and urging
the necessity Of building the nobest Observatory
world, as fit only for New York and the age and to re-
deem our nation from the dscredt Of worshppng alone
the almighty dollar, he proceeded the subject OF the
evenings lecture The Unfinished Problems OF tne Uni
verse" This expression, be said would Imply
that there were come that finished wuich not
absolutely the case The great law of universe gravia
on reigns throughout solar system with absolute
command and power. We almost with certainty an
houDce that its dominion reaches the fixed stars and
when ibis uttered oil that 10 finished told. But have
we knowledge OF the motion Of any paneH Can place
any one revolving wsrldf 1t done. All but
an approximation 10 perfection Two hundred years
one Of the disciples Of Copernicus had sufficiently
the movements Of Mercury predict
the the SUM- but his compu we're such
that he must give himself limit Of five days, within
that time his prophecy verified by observation AZ
later period the astronomers OF France had predicted
within hve hours ana observation OF the actual time
Of crossing had shown the prediction to be true and
far the exact calculation was in Al slil later
period in 1885, the first observ alton made the
sution under his control having computed the
time which the planet would disc of the SUM-
and the exact point Of contact he waien with anxiety
momentvhich was TO decide the truth of his calculations
l9e passing minutes seemed ike hours sweeping slowly
~ Fnd after the most painful and anxious suspense at
tleexact minute predicted, the edge OF the planet n
hpged upon the edge OF the disc. Such the
cacy Of the computation that ], within l6 SECONDS Of
The actual time deter mined by observation Appause
But these seconds must be down the part
OF q second and then would be able determine the
positions of our ships at (Appiause Navi-
was sweeping through space with velocity of l54 100000
miles every year yet up 70 the present time no one has
we moving IN circle, in q tremendous elhpse, 10
right liner II we can get portion Of this mighty curve
plane somewhere in the depth Of space will found the
mighty centre round which the solar system revolving
(AIplause) But is there in the whole starry heavens
any great central body any mighty ope orb which
holds the proportion 10 the boaies by which surround
ed that the central sun holds to the planets which weep
around IN There DO such orb, because could be ois
covered by the telescope existed, either in itself
were luminous body, or by It's olng power OF other
bodies II 1t opaque body. But there be
such body you there Can be soch revolution
round the centre But that ia not The examination
the double stars, which, Herschel commenced
numbered but i've, had been until now they
numbered thousands and were combined with the
other, each fxed by the power Of eravitaon
gether revolving about centre. Astronomers
had predicted their periods and given the power Of
king the places OF these bodies coming time. Thus
we pd their periods reaching 70 millions Of years There
no double star whose compopents revolving
round each other in time equal TO millions Of years
Yet they moving with a joint motion, and
physically united Thus there is diversity In the uni
verse, such as we able to observe planet
The universe has a diversity which the telescope
veas TO man; some Of the forms globuar sometimes
ten thousand million stars unite IN one cluster Then
OIL in space that you may behold another universe bril-
liant with light, and containing mlous OF varied forms
10 !. 'h0 psrsbio 70 nnd for the whole stellar
doubted not that the problem would be solved partly,
WAS possible, Dy the Observatory now about 10 be es
Europe's greatest astronomers First had revealed
the figure Of the great stellar stratum We enabled
10 determine the position of in this stratum.
4 we find the centre about which s
volvng have then found the Of the system,
which was the reasoning Of Maeder; vcwing the vast
multitude Of clustering worlds he thought had disco
vered the central point in the Pleades He bad by
duous labor determined the amour, Of proper motion Of
number of them aud had found that in all cases it was
Identical Why should they appear all to sweep away
ogetheIS Then proper motions all the same; and he
thought that when this fact was determined the great pro-
blem was solved But II was yet Of the great
finished problems remaining to be solved by future
generations. Should not do for those to follow
all in our power towards aiding this solution for 1t
the problem Of humanity (Applause.) When the OBJ
servatoy was erected in Cincinnati aud the debt was paid
off the hope OF sustaining in connection with the col
lege was swept away hour by destructive power
he lad but oDe chance to keep the Observatory and
that was by course OF lectures such this ght
proceeds Of which would 70 into treasury Of the
servatory (Applause) Heknew that he could not
pete the data from which the buttons of the great I'M
finished problems TO he completed. applause
One great result towards this the resolving Of time
INTO space ana 'b process he proceeded at some length
to describe, including the old and the new methods
When be had first tried the experiment found
TO inn ossibjc 10 tDd fine drawn enough dip into
the mercury and at last had to resort TO the SPIDERS web
which he bad actually used for three years connect
the heavens with the earth. (Appause) But, by the
new method the astronomer by the Of Ingenious
chimes, relieved from the haTrassng troubles which
bad before mpeded the progress Of SCIENCE and the
thousandth Of second q quantity which astrono-
appreciated every day-(Applause)- they
heced upon the result Of determining the LATITUDE and lon
eudc Of different places by the aid Of the magnetic tee
graph, linking together the observatores Of the world
The dferen Of longitude between places easily
noted by noting by Geographic communication the exact
the length Of time before the star parsed the neri
dian at another point They had TO take into considera
ton BE had succeeded after long experiments in dc.
termnipg this velocity He had Geographic circuit
from Cincinnati TO Psburg, distance OF go miles, and
Geographic circuit in his own operating room, both
worked by batteries Of equal strength and the diff
.rence Of time in which the iclearaphic signal
travelled the two circuits could neither DO deter
mined by the eye or the ear. Yet he had sue
ceeded in determining that this difference was twenty
periods Of thousanoth part of second feneation]
In THIS calculation he had TO allow for the physical
organizations Of The operators and this he called his sys
ZEN 1n 81 personal equation" daughter and appause
lie oetcrmned his personal equation by very simple
process, which was by noting the actual moment Of
sar passing the MERIDIAN by itself and az re-
corced by the individual The difference in the time for
ibere would certainly be difference would enable him
10 measure NE personality OF the Individual (Appause
The Professor concluded With an eiDquent peroraton,
which could only be appreciated in the exact language OF
Tie speaker and both space and circumstances prevent
mem being gwen here. The audience listened with
brcatbcss attention. and at tho conclusion burst forth in
vehement appreciation