The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-28
OUR GERMAN LETTER.
8 ki.it 10 the Astronomical Observatory of
Bonn Observations Of n New O4tcanian
Abroad.

BoNN, March /, 1875.
one noticeable feature of these German
universities il the manner IN which all the in
atitute5, belonging to different branches 0
science, have separate buildings devoted t.
them; thus ii Bonn there is an Astronomical
institute, chemical, an anatomical, patio
logical, and 50 on, each one comprising q
spacious and elegant building, any ono 0.
which IS as large as many Of our small American
colleges. The plan is for each professor, with
his retinue of assistants, to live in the insti-
suite over which he pre5iles, and most of them
are 14arrcd mon with families, so that a
visitor calling upon one Of them will find
him surrounded with all those little comforts
Of home, which, according to popular tradi-
aion, are only to be seen in house under the
domestic sway of woman.
This plan has many advantages, as it en-
ables 4 professor 70 attend to his various
Duties that il, his lectures, demonstrations,
experiments, etc, without the Inconvenience
Of having TO come and 20 several times day,
and as the government pays them fixed sala-
ries, it is inst as well to have house rent in
rluded and allowed for in, the perquisites of
any Office. OF course many of the professors
are practicing physicians, and have houses of
their own, aud there are only comparatively
only few departments deserving of separate
buildings, so that only such institutes as the
astronomical, chemical, etc, are presided over
by resident director.
IN passing back and forth on a certain
broad and well-shaded avenue of Bonn,
known as the poppelsdorfer Alle I had fire.
guenty noticed II building standing Il little
back from the street, which, from its being
surmounted with peculiar looking turrets as
well as from other Indications, | had settled |
in my mind as an astronomical observatory |
aud on making inquiry found that such was
the case; and further, that it belongs, as
does about n third of Bonn, to the Rhenish
Frederic William University.
The gate leading into the premises seems
so stand invitingly open night and day, and
though ! was impelled by great desire to ex-
plore the building and to feast my eyes upon
the arcana that are usually supposed to be
concealed within the jealous walls Of such
profoundly scientific institution, | was yet
constrained to wait for something to "turn
up that would open way for me to crafty
this wish, for this is country in which pee
pie stand very much upon ceremony and a
mand OF the language, would find himself
somewhat embarrassed abort explaining the
purpose with which he had intruded if he
were to 50 boldly into a German observatory
without paving the way by presenting letter
Of Introduction. and even newspaper cores
p0ndent, armed with the proverbial audacity
of his cla IS (the writer for instance), would
he likely 70 think twice before invading this
domain of starry science and interviewing
- ~ craplIls who nrngiIps 4
So when young friend OF mine mentioned /
casually having made the acquaintance of the Q
assistant astronomer, ! said at once, 'my dear C
follow, for goodness sake, can't you manage il
50 that he will offer to show you through and y
chen, you know, you can take me with your !,
so we laid a deep plot, and with my friends :
irish wit for he is an Irshman, and rot o. q
LeRton-tho unsuspecting and obliging sci =
enlist vas easily "como over, and day before Il
yesterday, by appointment, we two presented p
ourselves at the door Of the enchanted castle Il
eager with curiosity and well pleased with the !
success of orr scheme. y
We found the young astronomer in his h
clad IN dressing gown and slippers, it
and over head and ears III calculations, his
whole table being covered with slips of paper
-howibg columns of logarithms and other 81
ponderous arrays Of figures, while the ever 70
present German pipe in his hand, showed a. .,
hat like his countrymen generally, he was in Il
The habit OF composing his mind for study by BIZ
means of the soothing weed. He received us I'll
very cordially aud assured us that we did NOT d
tsturb him IN his calculations, though fear ia
MS politeness betrayed him into little pre- w
just then, and after chatting few III
we began our tour Of inspection 80
He first led the way into the eastern wing w,
If the building and conducted us into the
presence of q venerable transit instruments
which he informed us had been in constant or
lse for great many years, and according to eN
he records had been used in more than 200- sill
100 observations. A transit instrument, as
most of the readers Of this paper perhaps
,now, is only used to observe the passage of io(
heavenly bodies over the meridian, and oh
therefore,, It's axis must always remain the -
anne, while telescope for general obserya- an
ion can be moved in all directions. liz
This instrument Is mounted between two alb
massive stone pillars as to have its axis sid
perfectly steady, and on either side Of the an
elescope tube is graduated circle anout 81
wo feet in diameter, which by means of W
verniers can be read to single a.
econds. just beside this splendid instr,l- ca,
lent stands an astronomical clock which, we sh
ere informed was so nearly perfect that it an
My varies two tenths Of second in twenty flo
our hours. This clock is of quite a distinc. OF
rider from those that tell the fight of time for y
rdinary mor.als the latter indicate what is i i,
nown as ''nlean time which, mean as it may aw
q, answers very well to regulate the hours TIL
NJ dinner and breakfast. and such other little De
latters of vulgar, everyday life, while this VII
1lemn astronomical tme-piece, with its self on'
busting mercury pendulum and its three
rave faces, is timed to "sidereal time, the J
me of the stars. ~, ~
50 we gazed upon it awhile with profound a M
'spect, and left il ticking maiestically away inu
lille we went up into n small eastern tower ems
see fine telescope which has been but re- day
lnty mounted. There are five of these les
,wers. one OF large size in the center. and in
70 smaller ones II each ana of tbe bn;ld;ry an(
ba Qua into which wa AZ ,ra,+ ,,otna 4. mo
ard the Rhine and the Seven Mountains, '"'
I'd our oblsing conductor directed the new ],
lstrument toward the distant ruin of Drachen- NJ.
IL, in order to SLOW Us its superior magnify r.
g power and ciearness of field. THIS telc- con
'ope i only moderately large and was made the