, 1879-08-20
ASTRONOMICAL.

Tolcacope-rraf. Otto Slsuvs's Visit to
tho Naval Obtrrvasnrr.
torresnonhtnce .Ne,r York Herald.
WAsntsaToS, d. C., Aug. t4.-Pfof Otto
Str,,ve ti,e eminent astronomer In charge OF the
Russian Observatory at Pulkowa, near 81. Pc
tersburg, accompanied by Ills son, IermHno.
has arrived IN Washington for The purpose OF
Inspecting the United States Naval Observatory
and testing the po~cr of tho great equatorial
telescope. The object OF bis visit to the United
States Is to mike arrangements for the con-
struction Of telescope for tl.e Russian Obssrva-
shrv, the disk OF which shall be no to the vcry
limit Of vision. md as large As the firm Of Alvan
Clarke s. Co., of Cambridge, Mass. can make. 1t
being the desire OF tho Russian Government 10
mount an instrument which Will not only put the
Pu,kown observatory at the head Of astronum-
ieai Institutions, but which ~ill enable 4 to
maintain this poslIon for nll future time. Prol.
struyn spent thG. day nt the Naval Observatory,
nI.ll was called upon th!s even NJ bv nunbeF
to spend the uight lt tho Observatory testing
tic great telescope, but. unfortunatelv, the
wca 'her was not clear. thunderstorm dnrsen'
lng the heavens until after H,tdntght i, con
vcrsation with the representative OF the UerdH,
Prnl. Struyc explained The object OF his visit to
this COUNTRY Mt some length. and III good En-
glis!,. In appearance ts reminds one of the late
George Peabody. Though now 60 wears Of age.
he hopes to live unanv years vet--at frast long
enough 10 sce tn" ambltfon ,of his Governmnnt
ful|7 attained. He said thai sotns vears 40 The
Iatc Emperor Ntennlas expressed the dclermt-
nation to nut tic Russian Observatory at INC
eud tue Government had spens MONEY Without
stint, The Emperor took a deep Interest In
tho SUCCESS OF the Observatory, ai,t! went 80
far as to tay TINT r'sowa .s.,,, sa"a1' a1 &c
ercul ii. The construction Of the great c1ul.
noctial telescope for the Washington Obserga'
tory, Will, It's tweuty'sl1.!nch disk clear OF The
| molintnEs, wns such M aavnnce IN tfe war o1
| pniarring The power Of observation that It BE-
| came questionable wlle her 80 iarge d disk
auIcd ANYTHING to the facilities of lie nStron-
on,cr. Tic lens ut the Russian Observatory Is
| qu:y fifteen nches In diameter, ana y has DceI
instrument In lie Ehropean observato7ies thai
exce.s it, nul but ont that caunla II. For snan'
yeass It was the largcst tu the world. 1hf
Professor said that hc llal made tho tour oil IN
| Of uote In Europe. and now came ihe tes1
wheil,er the great telescope at the Naval 0bsery
atorr was superior 10 tho QUO 'n use nt Nc"ras.
lie, Engllnd, and the one at lulko~a. VI
what We aro utter" said he, "ts 10 carry tht
eize Of tie disk to the extreme lint
At which 1t can be male servIccahic. :
The theoretical idea wns tlMt. a glass
disk between tnirtv-swo and thlsty's!f !nehcs
md It Is to MAKE arrangements to tu!nll .hl
| Uft.exptcsscl desire of the Emucror Stcflola
That hc had coruu TO this country to confer VIII
the ceiubrnted mukcfs of the naral e1uatoIia
telescope. Prof. Nrwcomb was OF the optniol
that d glass coull be nadc srryiceab1o with NJ
aperture OF thlrty.stx tnchrs, antl havo a rorfc
spondinElv Increased power OF penetrating
enace Whether the Clarkes will he aplc Il
make such Qlass was for future consideration
The rough disk had to bs cast In Birmingham O
Paris, and illAt was an nntfertnk ne reQu!rlh
tic greatest care md skill, for The sIghtcst laY
would mnke It worthless. All that he could ad
was that his mission to the United States va
an agreeable one. After Spending the tim
| necessarY fnr his observations hero he Bhoul
proceed to Cambridge, mud, il timo permitted
| bs bouel TO be at the session OF the AMcrtcn
Association for the Advancement OF Science
which meets at Saratoga the latter part OF thl
month.
l'rof. Asapl1 Hail, in charge OF tue great tele
scopc, has kindly Afforded the dtstingulshc
visitor every facility for using ihc instrums1
As might be- supposed, the scientists nt Wasl
| tnstou arc somewhat chagrlncd ut TIC announce
mpnt that the Russian Government ia 1nak'h
pro7iaion to secure the largest tc'kscono ulu
can be made. At present ours Ii tue k'llE
| astronomical Instruments The Csarkes o.
completing disk OF the sntno size tlor gentlt
man in Chcaguf, the nountinE8 of whIca VI
rtyc an Increased aperture over tic nsTa! tel!
SCOPE OF Qne.half inch. thero Es somo dout
expressed about the Clarkcs a!tcnpttng
make 4 dIak Of over thirty inches In diameter
| The clear, nt1d It ia understood they would pr
fer not to undertake larger glass until such
QUE has been tested.