New-York tribune., 1878-02-18


HIS DISCOVERIES WE'RE NADE-FIS REPUfA-
TON AyRoAl--1HE LATEST RESULTS OF HIS la
EOEs.
{FRoM AZ OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF The iaiBuNhl
Culc,GO Feb 9.-Chicago is not a city which
vould ordinarily be suspected OF hiding any light
il might have under bushel; and yet 1t seems 10
have entertained distinguished astronomer W.
awaIes For twelve years or more, MI ;. W.
Rurpbam has resided here, following the business
of q stenoerapher-and a very competent one ne Is
reporting legal cases for livelihood. Hardly my
Chicagoian knows him except as law reporter
end when year ago the question arose
about giving him the Of the great
telescope here. tFe President OF the AstTo-
nomical Society inquired. Who is Air'
Burnha1nfD II appeared that he bad known hih
for ten years as reporter for the courts, Dot haC
never suspected that he knew anything about as
tronomy. The English astronomers had found nm
out four or FIVE years before this and had eiected
him Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The German astronomers also had elected MN
member of the great German Astronomical Society
at Berlin. Otto Struve director of the Pulkowa
Observatory in Russia, had known him and core
sponded with him for years, and % had Baron Dem
bowski. of Milan, Italy; Flammaron, in Pars
Dawes keen eyed observer, and score OF otier
astronomers in England
When dispute In astronomy, involving acutehesS
of vision has arisen in Europe, which could ony 'e
determined by series OF the closest and most accu
rate observations Mr. Proctor has repeatedly called
In Mr.. Burnham as umpire, and bis modest state
ment has settled the question. Air Bufnham is
rerular contributor TO NoRihlg Notices ard Memoirs
of the Royal Astronomical Society, OF London S.
frOpOmiscte NdosrieifeR, of Germany, and other Eu-
ropean journals; but his name is never seen IN n
Chicago journal. His speciality is the discovery ana
measurement of double stars, with the correction
codfcation and arrangement in tbe order OF 1gh
ascension, of the work that has been done by
previous Observers - the Herschels, strives
and others-in this department Of sideral as
tronomy His General Catalogue of Dou-
bic Stars" which will make quario volume
of 500 pages is in press at the Naval Observa-
tory AZ Washington. He has discovered more double
sfars-closer and more interesting ones-tban any
other person living and he is not forty years OF age
The December number of NOatbly Notices contains
his ninth Catalogue Of New Double Stars" All
the discoveries and observations, which have given
him so much reputation in Europe SDd so httle
here in his own city, have been done by small SIX
inch telescope that is telescope with Az object
glass six inches in diameterl made by the taIh' OF
Cambridyc which mounted IN Il sort OF cheese
box in his back ward: although the great Dearborn
equatorial of eightecn-and-a-ha inches aperture
is within two blocks of hlS residence, ana was uh-
used during ths whole Penod
About two years ago, NJ. Angot, one OF the tTench
astronomers who were sent TO the islands OF the
Pacific Ocean TO observe the transit OF Venus re-
turned through the United States, under mstruc-
tions from his Governments TO VISIT, and to report
on the appliances and work OF American OOscTv9-
tories Anpong other places he visited ChlcaFo, and
his report has recently been published III Paris: M.
Angot greatly interested IN Mr. Burnhanrs little
observatory and said he had never one where
such important results had been accomplished by
such simple and inexpensive appliances. ne ioun"
no siderial clock, 10 transit instrument, nothing IN
short but six-inch telescope, mounted cQuatOriay
on a stout timber sunk in tho ground The telescope
was even without the usual coc:-woIk TO Keep us
motion corresponding with the rotation o the carth
He describes Mr. Burnhams ingenious substitute
for tins clo-a long vertical tube filled with sand
with an nTitce at the bottom throu%h "Ich unc
sand NAV escape. after the manner OF an Od-iash-
ioncd hour glass. A .ead-plunger following the de-
scent of the sand TO the tube gives the proper
fion to the telescope and holds il as firmly star
as can be done by clOck-wOrk. lie describes, also,
Mr.. Buuhan's ingenious 1aOde oi cOist tTuc;lcn ana
reading OF his circles, By which much saving of
time is secured. The discoveries and work done
with this little telescope have tested the sight oi
the best observers in Europe and the resources ot
much larger instruments. Otto Strive, III a
letter addressed 10 NJ Burnhaln more than
year ago. sad ne ne nad re'CIee aFi
aad study of double stars, " but wbeD," be said,
think of what you have done III 80 short time,
am almost ashamed Of my own lab0rs" NJ. Ram
marion Of Paris last Summer, sent to him mass Of
printed proofs and letter stating that he had com
pleted after many years labor. and had put in type
lis " Iatalacns Of Double stars which had shown
Orbital or other Motion :" but he continued before
Ipuhiish il, beg to submit the proofs to you f9r
now places the head of this department OF siderla
ASTRONOMY" The proofs were corrected, and Large
number Of new measures and new systems IL mo
ton were added, which brought forth enthusiastic
acknowledgements and compliments from the
French astronomer.
About that time some of the directors Of the
Chicago Astronomical Society seem to have heard
that there was residing within two blocks OF their
telescope person who knew something about as
trononiy and the keys of the observatory and use
of the instrument rendered 10 him. since
July last he has abandoned his cheese box and
has done constant work with tho great equatorial
which is one OF The largest and best in the world.
Though the weather has been very uniavola1le iOT
observation during the past four months Mr. Burn
ham has. since July, discovered lG0 new double
stars, and has made more than 800 measures
OF difficult double and triple stars. Many
old doubles have also been found to be triple and
even quadruple stars The companion OF Sirius,
which Is showing rapid motion. and was discovered
about ten years ago by Avian CLARK, jr, with the
Chicago telescope when in the makers shop at
Cambridge, has OF late attracted nuch attention IN
EuroDe. Mr.. Burnham has made many measures OF
1t the past year. aud has discovered simar conpan-
ION TO The large star Adebaran, in the constellation
of the Hull. which may prove quite as interesting
He has also found that the double ot Rigel i'm the
foot Of OriOn) itself double His discoveries aud
observations during the past six months VIII FL
forty or fifty qIartO pages Ia the Memoirs OF the
Royal Astronomical Society at London.