New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-25

Of gifts by his widow. Blandina Dudley amounting
TO 100000 About $4,000 was realized lIom Tue
combined gifts of y large number Of persons III
Albany and Ncw-York who became interested III the
cntcrpriSe The magnitude Of the undertaking as eVr
denced by tile plans and attendant literature OIL c
time called for much greater expenditure IMAM III"
projectors realized. The financial panic OF 1891 anu
the Civil following soon after threw these p''s
into confusion and the observatory was left ihn'
completed enterprise. which. until recently, mas r-
maned in a somewhat dormant state. The fuH IN
stfumcrrtal equipment designed has never been pro
yided and the endowment has been but rittahce III
comparison with the needs of tie CHIEF ASTRONOMERS"
institution of The Empire state
YET the observatory staff from time TO time has
included some OF the leading names i'll American
ASTRONOMY. DR.. Benjamin A. Gould, now the Ncs'of
OF astronomy in this country, was director OF the
institution until 1853, during the period when 'he
observatory had close connection with the C"'ei
States Coast Survey. During this period Dr. T. H. F.
Peters was assistant. Dr. Peters aiter"Mu sA4noN
renown for the large number Of small paet' "'i'"
he discovered as well for his numerous conti-
buttons TO other branches Of astronomy. Dr. "ouu
was succeeded by DR.. Francis a. Brunnow. puph
NJ the celebrated Encke. Dir. Brupn)w became ol-
rector of the Observatory at Ann Abor' nch'' anu
after that Astronomer Royal for Ireland. lie was
succeeded by Professor q. NJ Mitcnel, who has Deeh
closely associated with the inception of the enter
Mitchell. who graduate OF west fNh'' ie"
imnced TO enter the military service Of his country
and in 1862 fell a victim 10 fever, having a''an'a
the rank Of Major General In the Union Army! -hVeI
an interval Professor George ". Housh was pmccu
I'm charge of the Dudley Observatory, where he re-
manned until his resignation in 1879. lie Is 10"
director of the Dearborn Observatory at Evanston
near Chicago The present director of the Dudley
Observatory, Professor Lewis Bess, was appointed III
1876.
During the earlier years OF the history OF the
observatory the circumstances were such as 10 pre-
clude the accomplishment Of any Important pro
cramme of astronomical work. and from 1862 10
1876 the energies Of the observatory were largely
devoted TO meteorological research at time when that
science was attracting great attention Professor BOSS
again brought the observatory Into the erect lhe
n astronomical work in 1876, and this has resulted
in important contributions TO stellar astronomy
Among these important works may be mentioned an
axtonded and critical research TO the exact
placns of the principal fixed stars, which was pub
Ilshed by the United state state Department IN con-
nectIOn with the report OF the Northern bouhuAry
Commission. This work became In part the basis Oh
the star places used in subsequent issues OF 'he
American Nautical Almanac. aud It has also been
adopted as standard in many important ASTRONOMICAL
researches in this and O'her cWntlies. From 1873
until 1857 the Dudley Observatory undertook lead
inc part I'm observations and calculations III reauoh
10 comets and the Astronomical literature OF tha'
periOd contains scores OF CONTRIBUTORS upon Ills
eubiect which emauated from the Dudley Observa
tory In 1852 the prize Of 1900 offered by IL. H.
Warner Of Rochester for the best essay upon the
nbvsical nature Of comets awarded to Professor
POS over 1875 competitors in tie United States and
Canada.
The most important undertaking of the Dudley
Observatory In recent years has been the zone %
servations Thirty years ago DR.. Argelander OF
Bonn Germany, then the most distinguished Oh
uy1ng Astronomers conceived the idea OF securing
accurate observations Of all the stars which can
ordinarily be In three-inch telescope 'h'oush
the cooperation OF many observers in various parts
of the world since the accomplishment OF TINS 'a'h
With the requisite thOroughness and precision wa"
far beyond the powers OF any one observatory. ms
work WA began on Argelanders plan In l66D. In
1879 a zone or division Of the sky, left WITHOUT
attention through the failure OF European oDSerVa
tory TO perform its stipulated part, was assigned "
the Dudley Observatory and the requisite oDserVa
lions and calculations were there competed ln 1901
In advance OF the other twelve participants, nearly
an of whom had entered upon the work eight years
earlier than the date when the Dudley observatory
began its share. The work was soon aHcrwaru pup
ushed BY the international Astronomical society," Oh
which the Zone Commission is part, ana ms
justified the highest expectations entertained by inc
original projectors Of the programme. Growing out
=, thss work Professor Boss has entered upon many
r-obems relating the structure OF stellar systems
HIS most important contribution in this field has
been a new determination OF the motion OF the sun
in space from which IL appears that the point
toward which the Is moving Is far from that
usually assigned in text books and situated In the
constellation of the Lyre about four degrees north
of the bright star Vega lie also found, at iater
fine that the velocity with which the sun (and It's
attendant planets Is shooting through space Is much
greater than had generally been supposed. and not
far from twepty-six miles per second. Strive had
concluded this velocity TO be about five and half
miles Der second and though for long time there
have been reasons for suspccing that this estimate
IS too small, 1t Is Hly recently that 1t has been
serfolsly called In question: There Is at present no
aoubt that the sun is moving at rate more than
three times that indicated by strive In other
words IL is certain that the sun IS moving approx
matey I'm a straight line carrying the planets Win
IN nj the rate OF at least CO0,O0O,OOO miles per
vear-probaby 500, cocoon is nearer the true figure
a. the end OF a century the sun Is In part OF
gpace nearly eighty billions Of miles distant from
the part II occupied at the beginning OF the century
H. as many Of the older well as OF the more modern
astronomers suppose. space is full OF matter ike
ueteors nebulOus matter, or clouds OF gases III q
dused state we have here Il fruitful field OF spec''-
lston as TO the possibilities Of climatic changes que
to the condition OF surrounding space In which the
sun, and with II the planets happens 10 DC moving
at given time.
. The study OF the aFranS cement OF the Stars anu VI
their motions gives rise to the most spendid prop
THE KEETEY TREATMENT