Diary of the Two Bonds, 1846-1849: First Directors of the Harvard College Observatory (Continued)

Diary of the two Bonds, 1846-1849: First directors of the Harvard College Observatory (continued)

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Citation Jones, Bessie Z. 1968. Diary of the two Bonds, 1846-1849: First directors of the Harvard College Observatory (continued). Harvard Library Bulletin 16 (1), January 1968: 49-71.

Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42669195

Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Diary of the Two Bonds: I 846-1849 First Directors of tl1e 1-Iarvard College Observatory* BessieZ. Jones (Continued)

Saturday Nov. 2. 1st 1846: Prot Cas,vell from Providence ,vas here this ,veek., the evening ,vas not favourable for observing, but ,ve got a .setof oh.scrvationson the planet.,,vhich js to be cal1ed'I-'everrier/ The 1 nun1e \VHSgiven h)r .A.rago,.(j to \v h 01n Levcrri er d clegated his rig h t4 Th is course do cs not gi vc entire sati sfaction, as th c F rcnc h , vould 11ot allo,v the designation of 'Herschell'. ~\.1.L/s 1nodcsty is a little Frenchificd, but after all h c may easily be excused for allo\ving a ne\v ,-vorld to be called after hi1n. It js s-aid that Challis~ 2 of C'1mbridgc Eng .. h-asbeen induced fron1 his o,vn investigations, to apply himself during the year past, to n1apping the stars near the spot vthich he assigned to the planer.. Lassel M of London is aln1ost confident that he h~s seen a ring & one satellite ,vith a reflector of 24in ap. ,~lc are no ,,Tex pee ting th c obj c ct glass every day 4 The 1ast stca n1er had continued Easterly \vinds during the \Vl1olc passage~ TJ1e ship Y orkto\vn has arrived at N C\VYork in 17 days from Li,Terpool. One· of the sh or test passages cv er n1ad e if not th c v cry shortcst. The reason

of it's ,shipmentby a sailingvessel! is on account of a rcgulatio111 that no f orcjgn n1an11factured nrticle cnn be shipped from English ports· in

Rcseari;h 111tbe history of t/Je 1-ltr.ri..tt?rd College ObservatorJ is being 1ntfde possible c/_,iefiy by a grmit to tbe l-IanJ1lrd College ObJerv~1tory fro1n tbe Nntiont.11 Science Foundtf.tion.

i.t Fran~ois Ara.go ( 1786--J85 3 ), ..vhose position in the controversy over tho name of the new· pfo.nct Js (liscusscdin 1\-iorton Grosser, The Dircovery of 1•,leptune ( C:im~ hridge, 19th.)., pp. 123 :ff. Ii:! J.uncs Challis ( 1803-188:z.), Plumi.1n Profes..sor of Astrono1ny -at Can1brjclge Univer5fry, On his fa.i1urc to ubscr\·e Neptune, si:e Grasser, op .. cit+,: pp. J 20-12. 3~ also Agnes Cler kc, rlfrtor;\ pp~ 106--107~

[.'.I ,,,n1ia1n L-Jssel1 ( 1799-1880 )t ·who dis:co,Tereda satellite of N~ptunc shortly after the djscovery of tlu~ planet 1tsdf, Sec Diary entries October 26~ I 84 7~ and aft-er for the Bond~! obs erva tio n.s of this s~tc1li tc+ 49

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 50 H 11-rvrrrd[_.ibrnry Bu 1/etin British vessels, ,vhich sounds very strange. l""o a necessity ,ve can submit ,vith better grace than to -a blunder or oversight. ... San1rdaJ'"Nov. 2 8~ . . . . ,~,.c have just got inteHigcncc of the arrival of the J\1argarct Evans ,vith the object glass. if .she had been oue day later~ it ,vould have been in the po\vcr of the consignees to delay her entr) 7 until the operation of the nc\v tariff!! Saturday· Dec 5: It secn1s that n1atters are taking a prctt)r decided aspect bcnveen the French & Eug]isl1 Astronomers, respecting tl1c priority· in the discovery· of this nc"r Jllanet. Air)r,5:1Herschell & Challis have laid clajn1 on the pnrt of J\1r Adan1s for a fair division of the honour~. They· sa-)7 that ns early as June last Adan1s sent to Airy· n po~ition of this nc"r Planet nearer to the true than the latest dctern1ination of l\1. Leverricr giving bcsides an inc Iina ti on, ,v hie h lVl.L. did not. A_jry neglected to sc,grch for it probably fro1n a press of other busi- ness.. Adan1s then desired Challis to look for it. He accordingly observedit t-wice in August,,. more than a n1onth before it's djscovcry by G·allc, but neglecting to con1parc the p1accs~unfortunate]y did not I recognize 1t. The publication of these facts in the London Athcnaeum (I think) touches the honour .of 'J..,agrandc nation, A proposition at a sitting of the French Academ)r to consider the clai111of 1\1.rAdan1s is hissed do\Yn, & 1,1rAiry· is proc]aimed a charJa- tan: a discovcr)r the undisputed honours of \vhich belong to lvI.Arago .. ,ve have been ,vaiting for the object glnss all this ,veek. It ,vns in- sured in London for£ i,500 & for its passage from Nev.r ··~{orkto Bos- ton at ¼ of one per cent .. It arrived on Friday being provided ,vith a private car for its exclusive nccomodationt it arrived in the f orcnoon looking very 111uchlike -a bale of old rags. ,,,e began unpacking ,vich Prof. Peirce bct\vccn 3 & 4. There ,vcrc first t,vo to\v hags ,vith stra\v benvecn, the ,vholc bundle heing perhaps 5 ft through. next ,vus a square deal box of 3 ft packed in stra,Y, next a sn1nller hox of about 2 ft. & inside of t11isthe object glass ,Yithout any padding part of the box is lined \Vith velvet. fro1n the color of the cloth it appeared jct black and the 'coup d .ocil' quite exceeded expcct::1.tion.It Jooked very large & there seems no chance for fault .findingbefore 1nounting it. ''-'e ,verc delighted to find that it exceeds 1 5 inches in dia111ctcr~,l\r e sue-

George Biddcl1 Airy ( 1801-l89i ), Astronomer Royal; John Frederick I-Icrschd ( 1701-187 I).

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) ceeded in dccyphering the signan1rcs on its edge "Harvard College, ¼l_ S. J~Cranch i\1ay 15th 1846/' v~ i\1r Eliot'j & !\1r Stc2rns \Vere present. Saturday Dec. 12th: 'i\'e received intelligence this ,veek by the Astr. Nach. of another con1et on Oct. 18 bj7 Hind. 60 it js very faint, fainter than that of Jul)7 29. 1"'hismal{es the third ,,,.hich has been discovered since rhut of l\1ay. during aH this interval T have \Vatched for the1n morning & night once or t,vice a ,vcelc Over a space in azin1uth about r 20° & of 50° or 60° in altitude. The p1aca~of t,vo of the1n ,verc in n1y range. The instrun1ent I use is hardl)7 ,vhat I should like., being a night glass of 2 ¾ in" ap & uncorrected for colour. jn other respects it is I believe very good being n1adc by Dollond & it hns done us good . service. The Zodiacil light I nO\V see for the fir.st tin1e in the '\'est & it must 110,vhe seen both morning and evening. It touches fi'1 Cnpricorni above & Saturn belo"r & reaches nearl; 7 to the meridian ab_ont d-ark.. I fancy· it does 11ot .set ,vith the stars being as long or longer but y·et fainter at 1 o oclock P.I\'L than -at 6 oclock P.r-.1. "\\ 7c have had some C'~/ghunts for comets & have picked up t\vo or three suspicious Iookin g ne bu1 ac. " . . Prof .. J)circe has been calcl1lating \\ 1arttnan's 67 observation on a s,vift n1oving star (contilincd in the Con1ptcs llcndus-) he satisfys them very nearly ,vith a straight line at a distance of 1000 ..ll. ~cs De. is no,v + 14 ° AR 17h 5on1 ,~ 7c continue the reductions of the 1840-r observations. Father sent this ,vcck to Dr~ Dachc r,s all the ohscrvations ,vc have

"· Actually, H\,-7_S.~ J. c.,nso 111arked to identify the choice Lct\Vccn t\VO ghsscs offered. See the Letter from l\1r. ,~rm. Simms ... to \\ 1• C. Ilond, A11nalsjI~ ch::- CXUT.. rm John R us~el1 Hind ( 182 3- 189 5) i English astronomer '"ith "\Vhorn tho Il on ds lnaintainc(l a frjc-ndlr correspondence an tl1~ir con1ct observations. Louis 1~·ran,;oislVartinann (, 793~1864), \\'hose observations on a i'n1ovjng star' 1 (a suspf:'.ctcdTrans-Uran.fan planet) appeared in Co111pusrendur, II, 3n" Sec

Grosser 1 op. cit.! pp.· 51-51. t.e. Alexander Dallas Bache ( 1806-1887 )~ Superintendent of the U. S. Coast Survey~ for ,r.Tho1nthe IloE1d!, performed 111any useful ser,Tices, yet curiously enough? as a prime organizer of the Na tionn l Acad erny of Sd e nee.~ in 1 H63 he "\.Vasone of the p o,;serf ul tri u in ,Tirate ( ,v frh Peirce and B. A. Gould ) , ,~tho ref ased to admit George P~ Bond~ generally recognized as the top American astronon1er of the time. See 1 1 Bache s ~Letter to Frazer,." ~1arch 1:, 1863, in Nathan Reingold 1 Scienre in Nine-

teentb Century A111er-ica(N. Y. 1 1964 ), pp. :z.05-io6; ~ho pp. 203, l :n~z1 :t. ,, 1ilfoun Barton Rogers ( 1804-188i ), one of the incorporators: of the Academy, opposing

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 52 Hnr-vardLibrary Bu!Tetht n1adc for the coast survey fro1n Nov 1845 to Nov 1846. l\1ost· of them for the second cime. Saturday Dec 19: .i'virIngersoll Bo,vditch is going to present to the Observatory a Comet seeker of the best construction. There is no i nstru n1ent ,v hich , v ou Id be n1ore a c ccptab 1e to us. l\ 1r Bu,vditch at the tin1e that he makes chis liberal bequest is denying himself the pur- chase of a n1u ch desired insu~un1en t for his O\vn use~ \~le have sent to Prof Schu1nacher & to the Astr. Society our observations on Lcvcrricr to Dec 14. I have had a thorough search over the ,vester n sky this , 1.1eck on l\1ondi1y~Tucsda}r, & "'\~/ednesdayEv,gs. I came ncross the celebrated dun1bhell nehula it n1ightvery easily be over-looked though it is a fine object in the large jnstrun1cnt. . .. Saturday, January 8 1847: Observed for con1cts in the n1orning jn~t before the present l\-ioon interfered, nvice. For ten days after l did ·not ob~erve at alJJ having the influcnzi1, during ,vhich ti1ne I com- n1cnccd arranging the papers, it ,vill be a long ,vork for Saturda37s I 1nea n to get th en1 in s.on1c order if possi blc. I havc ncarl y co 111pl ete d

l\1agnetismand .i\1cteorologyr 1\1y cold interrupted the progress of the tables of parillaxi but I hope to continue thc111 next ,veek .. I think I can redl1cc the transit obscrv~tions at the rate of -a.bouta fortnight an hour, ,vith good luck. I have got n1y grinding 1n-a.chincrca.dy for use it costs 2 5S & ,vorks to all appearance very·,vell. ,,, e have received our copies

of the me1noirs & proceedings of the Acadcn1)7 • The zodiacal light is very· bright in the evening passing bcnvce.n ()'!. Capricorni & Sa.turn & reaches near]y to the PJeiadcs+it is rather nario,v~ just touching the star & p1anet~ Had son1e fine hunts for Comets on Tuesday & ,, 7ednesday e,/gs. On 1,rednesday ,vc sa\v a transit of the third sate1lite of Jupiter.. Its motion ,vas very· slo,v 1st contact 2h .. 141n. 05s ... last contact 2 •• 30 .. 20 .sid time nearly [?] The air ,vas- clear & tranquil & the definition of the li1nit of the planet ren12rkably clear under a po,ver of 240. Tl1c satellite \Vas visible 011 the planet ns a little round light spot ,vhcn close to the edge but soon after ,ve could just catch a glin1pseof n dark spot in its p1acc. As it approached the point of first contact the Jimit of the planet appeared scooped out ,yith a radius rather less than that of the ph1nct (very uncertain on this point) '''c also sa'\"vhy· glin1psesthe fifth star in the trapeziun1 in Orion. Herrick of Ne,v Haven ,vrites to Prof. Peirce that he has been search- B:1.C.~hc\particnlarly- on the omissjon of Bond~ expresse::; his vie,,·s jn his /...ife trml L~tters (: 1,•o]s.,Boston! I 896), II, I 50--151, r 54-155, 161-1eS2.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 53 ing for \~'arttnan in 22h of All. \~'bile talking ,vith Prof. Peirce on this subject he proposed n1apping the stars b)~ the Can1era Lucida. In practice all the forn1sof the Ca1nera Lucida ,vhich I can find nre unfit for the purpose4 ,vith Iljnocular vision & a diagonal eyepiece there see1ns a fair chance of .suc ccss. Fa th er yesterday fittc d a rliagona l eyepiece on the po,vcr of 1 5 ,v hich gives a field of near 2 °. s~tnrd:i)r F eh 6 1 84 7: Since the last record I have kept a lookout for Comets, ,vhen the ivloon ,vas 2bscnt both 1norning & evening. I have looked n1orc th~n usual in the evenings ,vhile ,vaiting for the passages of the Planet & the st11r of con1parison. But since the l\10011left the evening sky it has been unusu~lly cloud )r & T have not yet found 2. clear night. l\Tc have had a stand made ,vith an adjusting frame to hold the paper us cd in n1ap pj ng stars~ Bin ocu 1-arvision pro vcs so1n C\Vhat def e cti vc the in1agcs seen by the t\VO eyes having a relative motion apparcntl)7 not the ctTect of parallax. I think lve shall 1nake son1e thing of it in \ var 1ner , lte~ther Prof.. A1itch e11 & Prest4 Ad an1s havc b ccn here to sec the object gla.ss. I-le .saysthat he is obliged frequently (in one or t,vo n1onths) to separate the lenses to c]enn thcn1 .. \'.\Tc have received fron1 \Tienna Piszzi.~9 observations., & from the A1ncrican Acndcrny their l\1cn1oirs. Herrick of Ne\v I-Iavenproposes searching for a nc\v planet bet,veen l\1crcury·nnd the SutL I have been trying the past ,vcck to find a method of computing the e11ipticclen1ents of a con1ct fro1n three p1aces. I think I have the proper equations in a rough form. 1\1onday·July 5th r 847: Since the last entry 1 have otnittcd any record further than occasional notes for ,vhat have uppcarcd to n1e sufficient

reasons; in the first p] ace 1 I u n d crto o k to find the el ctn en ts of che n e, v p1anet,v-hich took 111oreti111c than I had expeclcd to spend on it though I should think the discussion to be 1nore si1nplcthan in any other similar h1stancein the systen1. As to cxccntricity I concluded that the observations indicated, £rst, that the orbit ,vas not a perfect circle. and" secondl)7 ) that the exccntricit).,. ,vas probably-very-small, & thirdly, that the p]anet ,vas jn the rcgjon of its perihelion; these points & the clcn1cnts found agree nearly enough ,vith the determinations-of othcrsa Tn the second place I found a ne,v Co1net on !v1arch 4th ,vhich n1rned

ont to he quite ~n interesting one . 4 .. it ,vas first seen hy Hind near

Guiscppc Piazzi ( 1746---1826).

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 54 Harvt1rdLibrary Bulletin a month before 1ne, it 111ustthen have been faint enough it ,vas seen by hin1in the daytime at ies perihelion passage I had computed t,vo orbits & from them an cphc1ncris (\vhich \Vas nearly·correct as aftcrtvard.s found) and by this I searched for the con1et on the same day.. It ,vas not I believe a favourable day & I had not 111uch confidence in the con1putcd place had I given it the ,veight ,vhich it ,v-2s ,vorth I should not probably have failed. Although it sec111schat the obj cct ,vas a difficult one except ,vl1cn the Sun ,vas covered by a cloud. In our (;aSethis ,vould only have increased the difficulty us they ,vcrc as far as I can rernetnber high cirri. As soon as I \Vas ":rellthrough ,vith these I took up the subject n1entioncd under l?eb. 6th I have had since that tin1c son1c prett)7 long f orn1s to reduce & once in a ,vhilc ,vou]d n1cet ,vith 2 difficulty \Vith ,vhich J could do nothing else but , vai t tiJl j t 'c:un round\ a process \Y h ich. ] do not rem cn1b er ha·vin g

ever yet found to fniL 4 • 4 I believe that I have the subject no,v pretty safe.. The next point ,vas to bring up the }J3rallax 1.~ables.. .. Ab ol1t the .first of June ,ve received the Coin ct~seek er n1en ti oned under Dec4 19th & -a capital glass it is too4 J had no conception of the advantage ,vhicl1 it gives over the other before trying it. the aperture is a little short of four inches. j\1r Eliot promise~ us hnlconics in the Dome \vhich ,vill suit it exactly, till these are completed it is n1ountcd on the old stand it takes n1ore time to look carcfnlly over the san1c space than the old one bnt it is a great in1provcrncnt~ 1~o complete this catalogue of excuses the mounting of the great 1""clescope~rrivcd on Friday ev'g June r 1th about 6 or 7 o7clock P4 i\1 ,vhilc a sho\ver ,vas gathcrjng jn the "\~Test.everything \Vas got safely 11ndcr cover except the tube & the balancing bars, ,vhich ,vcrc covered up. About t,velve n1cn ,vere employed in unloading.. On San,rday June 12th -a beautiful 111orning after a fine sho,vcr in the night~ ·lve co1nn1en ccd u npacking. l\1r Fran c·faand his n1en ,v ere at , vor k 1n ost all day in ra-ising·the boxes to the D01ne floor after they had first been opened bclo,v .. The first box opened 1vasNo 47 c.ontuining the Tools for 1nounting, the Clock,vork, Ey·c pieces., !\1icromecers &c. the next ,vns the box containing the hour circle & friction rollers \vhich hap~ pcned to be the best looking of ~dithe large pieces~ I believe that all the ivork (excepting on my part the \\ 1ire l\1Iicron1cte.r \\'hich is no doubt ,ve11 n1ade hut to 1ny eyes ugly enough and not near so simple as

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 55 the English plan, it .sohappened that this ,vas one of the first things ,\re open c d) has surpassed our expectations both as to size & \Vor ktn:=tn- shi p. The stone cutter ,vas at \vork b) 7 noon & every thing ,vent on ,v ell & has con tin ucd to do so up to the present n10111ent~ , vi thou t a.n y- t h in g having h~ppened \V hich could be called -an accident. A little 1acq uer , vas rubbed off f ron1 th c b cd pl atc th c first tin1e it , vas raised from using a piece of grjt[t] )7 joist as a finder & one scre,v belonging to the object g1assof the finder (the last put in) ,vas lost for a fe,v minutes J kno,v of nothing of a rnorc serious nature. ,,rehad a prett)7 good trial of patience \vhile ,vaiting for the stone cutters hnt this g8.ve just time to finish the Ephe1neris & to translate the instructions. On the afternoon of Tuesday June 22nd the stonecutters finished their ,vork & ,-vc put on both bed plates for the second time & .scrc,vcd hon1e these \vere then covcrc d & the roo1n & staging cleared of gr~nite chips & dust & n1attcrs put in readiness for commencing ,vith the n1ounting on the next n1orning. On '''edncsday June 23rd at Seven or Eight Ai\-t. the polar axis ,vas brought .in its box on to the staging.,,vhilc father & Richard ,vcre setting up the endless sere\\\ and fitted to the box of the Declination axis, a prett) 7 diflicult matter to effect as it \Vas ,vcll greased & there ,vns nothing to hold by. It ,vas first rested on nvo blocks & then eased do,vn into ies pl2cc ,vhcn it had been firmly scre,-vcdin it ,vas care-

fully·raised ,vith -a.fall 1 several guarding against its cotning against the pier (,ve had taken care ,vhen l\.1rFrancis \Vas a,vay to n1akc the fasten- ings doubly secure) & came gently into position, the bridges ,vcrc th en scre,ved on ,-vhichrelieved all apprehensions of a ti1t. Next in order the rube bed ,vas scre\ved to the Declination a.xis \vhich ,vas not so easily·done as the other (previously to this before the Polar -axis,vas raised ,vc had a puzzle 2bout the right position of the arn1s Vi.rhich,vcrc to secure the levers c~rryjng the \Yeights of the Declination box) ,vhcn this V{as done it ,vas raised h) 7 ten or nvclvc men by· main force the Declination box having first been secured in u horizontal direction & after a most perilous passage close to the edge of the staging ,vhere a. slip or a misstep 111ighthave landed it in the ce11ar, ever)T one exerting himself to the uttcrn1ost, it entered safely· into its place & ,vas then secured. This fairly over ,vc could breathe freely. Next can1e the great ,vedge over the Polar axis & then the Declination circles & balancing ,veights, finally the Tube 1.Yns

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 1-lar·vardI,Jibrary Bulletin raised f ro1n its box, by the fall. The box: ,vas 1aid us a .stagc f ron1 the pier to the Dome opening & ,vith son1etrouble ,vas finally brought to position ,vith the object end nearly due \~Test. This finished this day's ,vork. On the next day the counterpoising bars i.vcre raised and the finder pnt on all ,vas then covered in -and the Room dusted & Sl\ 7 ept. finall)7 at four 1)., l\.L the great object glass vtas fastened in & ,vc soon got a sight of the moon ,vhich did not look ren1ark-ab]ethough very ,veil in the evening ,vc looked at the moon but the eye could scarcely bear its light ,vith rhe 1o,v po\vers [?] ,vhich ,,:re1vere obliged to use~ The stars looked badly & disappointed us, but ,vc consoled our- sel vcs ,vith laying the blatne on the atn1osphcrc & to say the truth it has borne a l1cnV}7 burden ever since, ho,v 1nuch of ,vhich belongs to it ,vc have n.otyet decided. 1 think ,vc nrc sure of 9in of the first quality but \Ve may· yet say the san1c of the ,vholc for ,ve cannot get a high altitude on -account of the staging. On Fryday the nventy fifth put up the C1ock-,vork. The large ,veights come exactly right for the pier, but · for one of the s1nnllones an alteration is necessary. Sat. 26th Clock,vork & vernier 28th Sa,v Satur1i-vcry,vell ,vith one of the sn1al1cstsntcl1itcs .i\1oon&. daylight interfering .... \i1\7e have since the mounting looked at sever::11stars including An- tares of ,Yhich,ve see the cotnpanion ,vith great e-asc\Vith 9in \:~?e can even detect this in the Sn1allEquatorjal of 4in. -ap.. on June 3oth~ I think, ,-vedid this \i\1e have again n1ovcd tl1c pier in azi1nuth .... .it ,vas done ,vith perf cct safety- suhscqucntl y ,ve found it needful to raise the ,,rho le pier 311d i [11]stiun1ent :1bout a quarter of -aninch~ this \Vas also done, apparently lvithout the s1ightcst danger, if carcfull) 7 conducted. Tl1e oft repeated observations for error of position and flexure of the great Telescope hns occupied all the tin1e, after attending upon visitors, and ,vhcn alone,,testing the different eye pieces~ ,ve have no,v got as far as the pn\vcrs of 7 or 8 hundred~ ... ,,rcdncsday Sept~ 2 2: At 3 ½ Ai\1 Turned the Great Telescope upon the Nebula in Orion ~0 -,vith a po,vcr of 180 the atmosphere ,vas

M On th~ sainc day '\\i_ C:. Bnnd \\Tote to President EYerett, 4='Yon"i.\rill rnjoicc ,,;tith me~ th~t the; grent nebufo._in Orjon has yielded to the powers of our in~om.pf-1.- rable telescope! ... It should be. borne in mind~ th-at this nebula and th~t of An- dromed c1 ha vc been the last strongho 1ds of the nebu 1ar theory; th at is~the id e 8. ft rst :snggestcd by the elder H er:schcl of in 3 sscs of nchu 1ot15 1n-atter j n pro ce.ss of con- dcnsa.ti on into syst~ms. The n c hula in O rj on y icl

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 57 in the most favourable state that it has been since \ve had the Grand Rcfractor - the revelation ,vas sublin1c, the first appearance ,va.slike bright clouds-the fifth star iu rhe Trapcziun1 ,vas conspicuousr 1nany stars ,verc seen a1nong the clouds of ljght, & about the borders. The stars can1e out in this ,va)r first the fifth star of Struve Gt bright and clear- then four stars above the 1rctpe~inn1 distant ahout 40'' or 30" fro111its centre lying in 11carlyone parallel of declination., about 3011 and 20'' ap~rt- these ,vcrc steadily-seen.,,vith numerous glirnpsc stars in their neighborhood- then a faint star bct\vecn the trapezium 2nd ,vhat is calr d the fishes 1nouth - s.f. and about 3011 distant fro1n the centre of the trapeziurn, the ,vholc appearance of this nebula \Vas altogether different frorn the representations gjvcn jn TI.ooks- it is much more cxtcnsivet nppears, as our milky ,vay does of a very c]ear night v;,:rhenthe n1oon is absent, sprinkled ,vith stars - 1 847 Sept. 2 9! "\~\ledncsday: Agrec~bly· to jnvitation, the President, \Tice President and all the officers, of the l\1assachuscttsCharitable 1 J\1cch a. nic Ass o ciati on 5c ~ visired the Oh servator y·. 1t passed off very pleasantly the day ,vas fine and they expressed great satisfaction President G. A. Smith \Tice President I-Icnry A. I-looper Secretary~ '\X/rjghtman It \Vas very gratifying, that every n1cn1berof the Govcrnrncnt, accepted the invitation and came punctuaH}r at the hour agreed upon. Captn Charles '~'i]kes 62 U. S. N. Lady·and Daughter nlso paid us a vjsit this afternoon. Sept! A Jarge delegation of the Associated Naturalists and Sa.vans-

of the odj ess; of com pariso n 1 but i nnu mcrablc appU cations ha \"e been 1na de to 1ne, f(lr el'idence of the excclk:ncc of the jnstrumenr) ~nd I can see no other \\ 7 .1)1 in ,vhich the public an~ to Le urndc acquainted ,,·ith its n1erits.'~ (This vcrsioni l[l A ~rnals,I, cxx.i-cxxii, has been so111c ,vha t cdi t(: d from the orj gin.ii letter j n Bond Correspondence, Harvard Ar-chi \'CS), ~1 Fiied rid1 G. "\V. St ru vc ( I 79 3- I 864) ., Dj rec tor of the great Pu lkovo Obs~ nTn- tory. For George Bond's yjsit ~nd receprjon there in 1851, see the extr.act.s from his E11ropcRn t(1t1r in I-Iolden,. .A1e·nzorialr,pp. 94-104. The. cordial rcfationship be-

t\\"ecn the Haryard and Russian astronomers 1 especially the Struve f.arnUytis a strjking f cature of H rtrv~ rd Ohscrva tory history.

u, Tho 1\.1:-;a.ss~cbtJsettsJ\-lechanks' CharitaL]e As~oci~tion 1 of "\vhich Pan] llcrcrc y.. ·as first president, ,,;,·as organ i,.o d in. 1 795, Sc e s~n1u cl Ad nn1$ J)ra kc, 0 l d Land- 1u~rks mid Hisroric I'erxonnges of 1Jortnn (Roston, 1873),. pp. 71, 120, 147,. l49t 18I~ 3JL lVilkcs ( 179R-i877) cn-mnrnnded the f3mous expedition, tS38-1842, 1~ubUshing his J-clarrativeof tbe U'llited States E,.,·plorfngE.ypedition (5 vols.) in 1844.· See ])AB, XX~ 2: 16-1 I 7•

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 58 I-Iarvnr d Li brar y RuI I tine visited the Observatory. It v?as nearly eleven oclock at night ,vhcn thCJ7 came, as they had been engaged at1\1r. Abbot La,vrences o?.,vhcre they had probably found something n1orc congenial to their natural tastes - for they appeared more disposed to an interchange of ,vords,. than in examination of Book of Nitnre .... l 847 October I Friday: Prof. Dean of Burlington College \Tr. came to visit the Observatory; he brought ,vith him, his description nnd exp1 an ati on of a ne,v kind of T clcscop e~ The i 111prove1nent l1 ecl 11 in1s, is conv cnicnc~ in u sci it rcscn1 blcs th c diago na l vic":r, thro the axis of so1ne of the German Transits - the principal or only dtfference con- sists in his proposing to use a parabolic reflector at the centre of 1notion, instead of the usual reflecting prisn1. I-le spoke of a Planet discovered by Olbers,G-:1having a period of 200 or 212 years says it is mentioned in ''Allen's !\1athcmatics,', cs printed at Baltimore in 1 8zo. It ,vas named I-Ierculis ...... 1847 October 2 Saturday: .... This evening a great cro,vd of per~ons attended at the Observntory~ George took the first hour, son1c idea of the nu111bcrof persons present may be gathered fro1n the fact, that ,vhen the Telescope ,vas set upon Saturn., it givjng a fine vie,v of him, tl1crc ,vas an uninterrupted succession, for n1ore than an hour, each person, upon the average ta.1;;:ingabout thirty seconds. l 847 October 6 '''ednesduy: .... Joseph Coolidge, sister und Niece

Bl Among other bcocf actions, Lawrence ( 179:.-185 5) cstab]ished the L~nt•rcncc Sdentific School in 1847. A brief his.torr of it is given in. San1uel E. /'\1orfaon (ed.), De-velopnient of Harvard University Sinr.e tbe h](Jugurt1tion of Prexident Eliot ( Cain bridge, 193 o ), ch3.p. x..-....:vi,pp. 411-427;. sec ih:o The Autohiograp!Jy of N atbJlJJ~ iel Soutbgnte Sbnler (Boston, 1909 )~ ,\?ho becan1c dcc\n of the institution in 1891; ,~riHia111Il. Roger.s, Life and Leuers~ 1~ i71-:274, 309-310, 3 r9~ Agassiz's role in its establishment and operation is described in Ed\vard Lurie~ Louis Agas-siz ( Chicago, 1960), esp. pp. 136--r41+ The Ohservltory for c1. brief perjod ,,T~sn br~nch of the Schoo], but the Report of the \ 7jsiting Comn1ittcc for l 854-1855 expressed icpeculbr satisfaction .. _ that the Observatory llos once ruure an independent: existence as a separate department of the U nivers1ty," 3.nd the convicdon that "i\1r+ J...1\i.Trence,had ho lhredt \1TouldhaYe been among the fore.most ln advocating the ,ulopcion of the nlcasure, by , 1d1ich the Observatory has ceased to be classed as n mere hr;;tnch of the school ,vhich so "\vorthily hears his natnc/'" (Annal!, I, ch:x·v.) ~'J-Ieinrich 1Vilhe1m Olbers ( 175 8'-1840 ), German astronomer, ~•no11g ,,·hose · other achleve1ncnts. ,.•:asthe discovery of Pallas ~nd ,resr:;i. e..-.A \vork formidably entitled Eudid)s Elenunts of G {?cnnetry,f'ir.H Six Books to ~vbitb Are Added tbe Ele1ncntsof Pltane and S/Jherical Trigon(nne1ry~ a Syste111 of Conic Srctionsf EJe111entsof 'l\7nturat Pbilosopl:Jy ar Far as it Rd«tes to Astrono1ny j 'i.L'ttb N 01es by Rrv~ Jobn All en, A. A1·i Prof {?S.Sorof i\1alb enm ti c.s at tbe Univc-rs it y of AJt1 r:,· Iand ( R~Itlmorct J 8 2.:2 ) •

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) Diary of tbe Tr:.voBouds, 1846-1849 59 call'd. He has been several years -absent in Europe, has visited n1ost of the continental observatories. Sa,v ?vlertz at lVlunichl 1vho extols our Telescope a.s being his nlastcrpiccc and the best Telescope in the ,vor ld - l\ 1r Coolid gc saJrsthc)T arc getting up a n1agnificent T elcscope at Paris for rhe observatory·. Oct. 7: Thursday! At ha]f past ten in the forenoon- ,ve ,vcrc honotuTed and grarjficd by a vjsit fron1 President J. Q.. A.dams - a c- companied by ex:Presidcnt Quincy and President Everett. It 1s the first visit Presjdent Adams has been able to n111keto the Observator}i since his return from "'\i\lashington he ,vas very chccrfu], and in- terested ns ever in the prosperity of the Ohserv·atory Presidents Quincy· and Everett -also express' d satisfaction at \V hat had been done and bright anticipation for the future. The visit ,,rns upon the ,Yhole, the 1nost pleasing one ,vc have had. At 1/2 past three oclock rene,vcd our examination of the Great Nebu1a in Orion~ made an eye sketch of the ~rrapezium and many other of the Telescopic stars in this superb nebula. It is delightful to see the st~rs brought out ,vhich have been hid in mysterious light froin

the human eye, since the creation. There is a grandure 1 211 aln1ost. o verpo ,-verin g sub]h ni ty in the scene that no language c.:an f u 11y express~ The general appearance of this nebula js that of bright rounded cloudst not striated like the one in Andron1eda and much brighter. '''e see the sixth star of Struve ph1inly ,vith 2 po,vcr of 600 - also the 5th srar of the Trapezium \Vith any po,ver it being n1ore distant fron1 its principal, \Ve then come to a second class of sta.rst four of ,vhich l}ringin the same parallel of declination above and about,. the distance of a diagonal of the T ra pcziu1n f ro1n i r~ arc sec n stead i1 y ,vhcn the atmosphere is fav.om·ablc. \~Tc then sec three stars bclo,v the opening called the Fishes n1outh «nd tbree others, forn1ing altogether a n1inature representation of the Constelation of Orion, excepting- the star X \\!'hich in Orion js a 111ultiplestar, If ,vc should n1akc out 2 cluster here, th c re semb 1a nee ·vvi11 be 1nost re1nar k able. Recd -a Jetter from ''-'in 7V1itchc11announcing that his daughter j\1arin had discovered a Con1ct on the 1st inst. 1847 October 8 Friday: ..... Finished 111Jr report to Dr Bache, of the Coast survey - fifty nvo Chronon1etric diff crences given for the Longihlde of this Observator}T\V'"est of Grcc1r~:vich66 -4 hrs 44 m 3os.9. sa Both b cfore and after coming to the O bscrv-atory Bond 1nad c a long series of

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 60 Harvard Librnry Bulletin a Gentle1nen and Lady call

first appear on the follo,ving border1 dark spots of sn1alt din1ensions elongated jn a direction parallel to the axis of the sun, as these approach the centre the brightness subsides,but \vhen the .spots are about pnssing off the)T reappear, the luminosity seen1sdependent upon position, as ,ve have no reason for supposing a regular dccrc2se and increase of light ,vith the rotation of the sun on his axis-,vc 111a)7 perhaps conclude that in these positions the interior of the lun1inousenvelope of the sun is presented to vic,v, 111oreespecially- as I have often nodccd that there is only one side of their broken ,vaves that h2s a distinct ou dine -and that is next to th c 11earestpoint of th c sun Iin1 h.

longitudinal determinations, the accuracy of Vi-'hich·was ~ttn~t~d by the Driti~h Ad- mir~lty ( Corresponderice in A~nudst I, xciv ). In his reports for 1848-1849 :.:1.ndsuhsc- q ucnt years he noted hl s proccd urcs for the G reen,vh;h-Cambrhl gc d etc rrn in ~dons, concluding the series of c hron 01neuic te.sts in 1 85 5. Tl 1c exp t::di ti ons: ·were c r-i.rricd out by special at ra ngcmcnt ""ith the U.S. Coast Sun?cy, of ·which Scars ,,, Rl kcr ( 18 5- 1 8 53 ) had djrcct ch~rge .. GIit The us h c.:,pherd \s Ring" "\Yas a di al for keeping ti [lle by the sun. See As You Like it, ii, 7, 20 and Henry Vl, Pt. )l ii, 5, t 1. The unique collection of portable sun(lhls 8-t the Obser\r.atory, dating f r01n n'.foo to 1921, -....vasthe gjft of Dr. Harold

Cfo.rcnce Ern~t ( I 85 5~1922.) 1 Class of 1870. See R. Ne\vton i\.1ayal1,"One i\·1an\ Hobby- Port~h]e Sundials,~1 H «rruard Afo,nni Bulletin, XLI: 1 I (Dccemb-cr 9, J 938). 3 37-34o.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) or As jr promised to be a clear evening visitors began con1ing before sun do-\vni and continued till 1/2 past 9 - ,vhen the heavens became overcast. There 1vas a strong aurora, accompanied ,vith the usual peculiar clouds

The pcop]e cxgmined the Nantucket Comet, 1\1laria A1litchell ,vith great interest., and \Ve con1pared it ,vi th the great nebula in Andro- 111cda,look'd nt y Androrneda, Saturn! cluster in I1crculis and another . . October I I A1onday: Got to ,vork \Vith the 1nicron1etcr on rhc stars in the nebula of Orion at 2 Al\l George had been me::1suringthe positions & diswnces of stan, in Andromeda an hour llefore me. He then took his con1et seekcr outsid~~ ,,,indEnst and chiihr clear tolcral1le seeing. The sixth st~r could he seen ,vith a po\ver of 300 - The nebula has a bright clouded appearance in the neighborhood of the Trapezium, the four stars 1ying just above it ,vere quite p1ain as ,vcll as one bct,veen the Trapeziucn and border - of the n1outh- n1any· others , v ere seen in g liinpscsJ son1ctin1 cs a cl u stcr ,v o nl d come out plain for g f c,v seconds - I found that the separate stars could be hunted up again~ the ,vhole appearance is quite different fron1 the description gjven by Sir John Herschel, rhe nebula is -very extensive, in son1e parts there are no indications of resolvability· - but the ,vholc partakes of the culn1ulus [sic] rather than the citTns ChnractcrJ the :fifth.star discovered by Struve:and reckoned of the fifteenth n1ngnitudc ,vas visible until 5h ... 50111. The 4 star ,vhich is recorded as of the eightl1 1nagnitude \V~s ,vcll seen a.ftcr sun rise - Lhc sun rose at 6h 8111 - that js a star of the fifteenth n1agnitude is seen ,vith this Telescope ,vithin, or less than, t\venty n1inutcs of ~1111rjse, and this ,vithout any particular effort, a good evidence of its tenacious grasp of light I got n1any n)easurcs but the steps are ycry j nconvc nient at t1rnes~ "'\\'e obtained a sight of l\:lars- and ngilin noticed the curious dark belt, the "\Vhiter p.orrion near the pole \Vas not vct)T distinct) but ,ve did not devote n1uch time to its cxan1ina ti on as it , l'"asun du 1a ting, and \vould not bear high po,vcrs - clear an

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) Harvard Library BulI eti11 made it of half the ,vcight .... The remaining parts -of the observing chair \Vere brought. Clear evening- Fir.st Comet lo,v·, about the altitude of Cor .. Caroli Ia Herculis] ,ve obtained places by the great Te]escopc, -andaftenvords of the Nantucket Co1net. IV.lr.\!\ 7:a.lkerand Prof. Peirce can1c about nine oclock .. as ,ve ,vere to get up by nvo o}clock ,ve closed \Vith an exan1ination of the cluster in I-Iercu1is rand un estimate of the 11t11nberof stars therein~ 3 or 400 - October 12 Tuesday: George got to ,vork soon after one. I did not till 1/4 to 3 the stars very 111uchdisturbed and flickerjng- mea- sured positions and distances in the Great Nebula of Orion, ,vhich occupied the tin1c till day light - very cold - hard frost, the first ,ve have had for the season. George cannot find his southern cornet

againJ it ,vas in. Leporis- he got one placc 1 by the readings of the Comet seeker. Frost on the object glass. ~Jr Place and his n1en came about nine oclock to put the observing chair together, commenced n1apping the st2rs in Orionis - cxinnincd the sun & made sketches of the spots,,thro flying clouds - call'd on

Sears "\\'alkcr1 left ,vith him our only copy of the Chronon1ctric con1- parisons for I ..,on of G,vh & Catnb. He 11ns arranged ad1nirablc forms for the reduction of cu]minati ons nd occnltations, for the u sc of the Coast surv c)T • • • Oct. 1 3 \:.\'ednc.sday: .. _ The time is occupied ,vith projecting a 111ap of the Telescopic stars in the great Nebula of Orion,, and attending to the ,vork1ncn \vho arc putting up the observjng chair for the great l"'elescop~~ 14 Thursday· ... Evening ,ve observed on the Nantucket Con1ct., it is 1noving ,vith unconln1on rapidity, the n1otion is quite perceptible in

half n 111inutc,nearly all in declination . 4 • George ,vas s,vceping for comets., a.s long as the sky· ,vas clear. He has got out the Elements of the N ~ntuckct con1et. Oct 1 5 l:j-riday: \~Tasat ,vork on Orion bcnveen 3 & 4 this morning ... make ~ta rule to ob~erve,vhcn I can sec the fifth star in the Trapcziun1, ,vhich \Vithin the \vhole aperture of fifteen inches-brings us near to sun rjse - I have been able to get positions ,vith the rnicroinetcr Vt'jres i1lon1in~tcd of .severalof the minute .stars, proper to this nebula - it is vcr)r slo,v and tedious ,vork ho,vevcr. The observjng chair is set on the iron rails n1ercly·as a trial, it can be 111ovcd,vith greater case than anticipated. ]n observing the sun to day I notic'd the return of the spots b and

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) c of Septcrnber 2 2. c, on that day appeared as a larger dark spot surioundcd by very bright f aculi, b, appeared preceding dark & large by the 30th of Sept. h ,vas pa~singoff as a double black spot surrounded \Vith Jight and c '"vas nearer the centre of the Suns disc, as t,vo prominent dark· spots, surrounded by -a ,vell defined penun1hra~ I th ink th c y -are th c sa n1e n a, v seen n1u ch bro ken , vi th extensive pcnu1nbra. Evening did 11ot go into the Don1c ,vith a light on account of the danger of setting fire the carpenters having n1ade n great deposit of .shavings, in laying dn\vn the rails for tl1c observing cl1air. G·corgc \Vas hunting for Comets until past 1nidnight. Octohtr 16 Saturday: . . .. I found the outer rail laidt on triait it "\"Vas found that the chair \vould 111ovc1- ·vith sufficient casct to enable us to turn jt by hand ,vithour difficulty, this is a great point gained, although this \vas the day for the admissionof the Public, ,ve had almost decided to shut up. but they came so early· and held on so hard that ,ve concluded to \vork thro as ,vell as ,vc could, the early part of the evening ,vns clear and those then present obtain,d a good look at the J\1oon and Saturn, but it soon clouded over and it \Vas only tolerable s-ecing at 9 oclock - mrtnJ· held on untjl h3Jfpast ten. October r 8 ?\1onday·:.1\t t\vo oclock there ,vas a dense fog ..... The Observing Chair no,,r occupies our attention chiefl)T· \ 1l e have reason to expect that it \vill not prov·ea fai1urc, _Assoon as t\vilight closed, George found the Nantucket con1et, ,ve got differences \Vith the annular 111icrometcron the five foot Equator~ iaL The comet jg in about t\vclve degrees of ~outhcrn declination, it has near Iy comp Ietcd its race in t 11at d ircc tio n. . . . 1847 October 19 Tuesday: Engaged :1bout the Ch2ir, sketches of the s_o]ar spots &c -,vent over to ?\1edford to enquire concerning the Piers for the Transit Circle. f\1r. Nc,vton Chandler,. the contractor., ,vas absent, one of the Piers \Vas con1plctc., and the ,vorkn1cn said that the other ,vas split out ready for "rorking. Evening cloudy- \Ve lose nvo occultadons~ one of then1 of a peculiar]y interesting character., as the calculated duration. is only :fi,Teminutes. vtatchful, patient & ready

,ve 1nust be at all t.in1es1 but these disappointments arc a grea.t trial.

l\1r '''illian1 Shin1minand his son calld during the evcning1 the son 11ad,valk"d thro the I.Jevjathan Telescope of Lord Ross 67 and had seen

,,, iJIi:) 1n Parson~ Ear] of Rosse ( 1 80 o--18 67), housed his fa n1ous 6-ft. ce fl ector at Birr Castle, Ireland, ,vhere George Bond visited him in 185I (f-Iolden,

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 64 H {(P-ilardLibrary Bulleth1 the great spcculun1 uncovered - th cy d cparc for Europ c again in about a fortnight .. A1r Shimmin ,\rishcs to have a description of our observatory and an account of the perfonnance of the great ·-r·clescope to take ,vith l1j1n. Oct 20 ,,rcdncsday! Rain rluring the night. l\1r Jones and Ivlr Place came \Vith their ,vorlnncn, the chair 1noves easily~ and keeps the CJrc nearly at the sarne distance fron1 the eye piece in all positions. It pron1 ises to ans, v er ,vcll in e v cry resp cct. lvir Eliot, th c Treasurer, c2n1 c in the a f tcrnoon bringing l\1r

Bryant es the Architect ,vith hin11 he ,vas right ,vell pleased ,vith the

o bscrv ing ch air1 seemd perfectly satisfied ,vi th it~ this scc1ns th c Iast of our difficulties in the ,vay of construction. B. R. Curtis,69 a 1ne1nber of tl1e corpor::ition~ ca111c,vitl1 his Lad) 7 and 1\1Jrs Dr Bigelo,v. They had a fine vje\V of Saturn~ the 11100n and double stars~ llccciv'd Sir J.. F. \~7• Herschel~ ,vork on Nebula -and double stars~ including all his Cape observatiuns,7° this is a present fron1 the Author, and a 1nostvaluable and ti111elyone. Oct 21 Thursday-: It has been a clear frosty night, ,,,c,vcre at ,vork in the Dorne hcnvecn three and four oclock, very bad atn1ospl1erc,could hardly· n1ake out the 5th star in the l"rapeziun1, ,vas obliged to be content ,vith n1aking rough notes, as gl1idesfor future n1easurcs~Used the chair fur the first tin1e. lt ,vill ,vhcn finished add' greatly to 011r con1fort in observing .... The solar spots arc greatly reduced in nun1bcrt the pcnun1brae on each spot appear to increase, till the dark p:-1It bccon1cs very smal1, an

Oct 2 2 Friday: .... cloudy all night 1 ,vith slight rain .... ,ve h11ve had only one inch of rain dnring the month .. a. beautiful corona of dark spots 011 the sun, the cluster n1ark'd, c, on the r 5th ,vhich then

.A[e1Horials, pp. 119-1 ::z1). 1~hc telescope ,,Tas repeatedly described and adn1ircd in ncw·spap ers of the da r (c 1i p pings in Ohserva tory Sera p book) . ""\Villianl Shim min "\\r;as one of the earlv subscrjbers to the Obscr,·atorv.. Gridley J. F. llryant ( r789-1867 ), ,,;,Tho·with Arthur Dclav-an Gilman (1821- 1882) built the Boston City Hall 1 186i.-i865. See DAB, Illl 197-r9S~ and ,-njo11g-,-1 :z 1 .. ari Benjamin Robbins Curtis ( r:-109-1874). ,ii Results of Astrono}}dccil Observmionr A1ade during t/Je Yc11rs 1834joSt 6! 7, 8, at tbe Cape of Good Hope (London~ 1847)r

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) Diary of tbe Tru)o 11ond s') 1846-18 49 had extensive., branching penun1braet dotted ,vith dark points, near the center of tl1c disc., ,vjtl1out any· indications of faculac.... 1847 October 2 3 Saturday: .... Rain A.i\1. ,vent into Boston, the Hersche]ian Book has arrived,. but cannot get our Dynnn1ctcr for ,-vant of an Invoice, i\1r. Simms is ver) 7 re1nissin sending invoices, ,vc have none yet for the Co,net seeker, sa,v [\,fr S. A. Eliot ... It c1car'd off ~ftcrnoon. I came hon1e early to prepare for the reception of the Public. !\1r "\1'7hipplc 11 has brought out his-apparatus., for the purpose of utten1pting to t3kc a Daguerrotypc of the I\1oon & Sun, by aid of the great Telescope~ ,ve turn~d it on the Sun n1y ar111 happening to be just close to the eye glass ,vhen l caught the solar focus~ lt jnstantl)7 burnt a hole in n1y coat sleve, I felt it on my· arn1t the heat ,vas-so intense that ,vc considcr'd it 1nost prudent to refrain

for the pr cscnt, and adj our ncd to the small observatory, ,, 7 here on trial l\ 1r , \Thippl c ,vas satisfi cd th at he should be able to accomplish the object. It ,vas ]ate ,vhen he can1c and the sun ,vas sinking fast.

-n John Adan1s ''-'hipplc (b. 181.i). the leading dagucr.rcotypist of Bosto111 c-vcn- tuaUy succeeded brilliantly (he lVon a nlcdal at the British Exhibition of i 851 for his e~ccJlcnr cxan1pks of ft:Strono1nicalphotography), but this js the first a.tten1pt recorded Ly the Donds to ilpply tllc technique to the 1noon and sun. For their pio- neering in this ultimately indispensable tonl of astronomy see An11r1fr,1. c~ix; Ba.iley, I-lfrtoTy n11d lf'ork of tbe Httrvnrd College pp. 33, 116-118, 2:25t 229, i 3 2--2 3 5; l) :;111id ·rv.n :l frer, Hi st OT'J of t be H ar,r.iardC olh: ge O Lser-vat ory duth1g t be Period 1940-dl!)O ( CambrJdge, I 890 )~ PP- 17, 19~:20; Ho]den, op. tit., ppr :16:2~266. ~nd esp. George Hond 1s sjgnificant Jetter to l\rilliam j\,fjtcbdl~ pp. I 54-159; Dorr it J-Iofficit, ~'Some Firsts in Astronomical Photograpl1y' 1 (p:.1rnphlct,C-anlbridget 1950 )1-

an exceHent sur\Teyt though in the thm.~t::i:blc 1 p. 3 711 she d~tcs the first cxpcrJruent December 18) 1849. ,~v·h•pple1s :ic-hievcmcntsare discussed 1norc fully in Robert Taft.'s Pbotograp/Jy nnd tbe-A1nericau Scene (1'~c\vYork, J 964), pp. 69i 74, 76, l 14j-

n~o, 46S, 474. In 1910, responding to a. query by Prc~ident E1iot1 Pickering \ 1?rotc, ~'The acceptance of the photographic 1netllods adopted here hils been s1o,v, hut I c~nnot recall any period of rc-ducdonT The:. introduct:ion of photography by the

Iloutls 1 p-rob~b]y the n1ost in1ponant il

executed, ,-vlth th c 1:1.jcl of our gre 3t e qua tori a1 1 ,vc ,·vc.rc encouraged to hope th~ t th c ,\-Tayis open for further progres5. If .it ~hould pro\'C successful "'hen applied to ~ars of less ud Uiincy than 11--Lyiae. so as to g i \'e us correct pictures: of d ouh] e ::1nd m nl- 1 tipl c star~ th c; advantages ·would ht: inL=al cu la ble ' ( A 11na 1s 't 1, cxllx) , 0th er ref crcnces to photography appear in the R~port for i 851 (Aruuds, I, chTH)11852- (p. clxv ), 18 5 3 ( p. clxxjii), -and in later reports of George Bond.

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 66 Harvnrd Library Bulletin The Public hegan to arrive soon after sundo,vn. It ,vas n brilliant moon light 1iight.,and they cilme by Hundreds, so a.s to quite over- ,vhe1m usl there ,vns altogether too 1nuch cro,vding a.nd noise. I believe ,ve 11111sthave some ne1v regulations and -a Door J(eepcr) the Doys,vere the most uonbleson1e. Oct 24 Sunday: . . Prof. Peirce calld in the evening he has been talking ,vitl1 Do ctr \Valkcr about the proceedings at the Ob serva tor)T last Evenjg, he f cars a rnmult. 25 l\1.onday·:I callJd on the President -and made a representation in regard to the effect::.of the Regulation adn1itting the Pnblic to the observatory. It really seen1s intolcrablet n perfect Babel nnd that part of the observatory is in a very dirt}7 condition, ,Ye must have t,vo or thr ec persons to cJean it, and devote another day ourscl vcs to the instrument. The President is decided in the opinion that it is rn ost prudent to close it, he desires me to address hun a letter on the subject, detailing the grievances, he. ,vill caH or anticipate the n1eeting of the Corporation, s.othat ,vc 1nay be prepared before next Saturdsy. I returnd and ,vrote a Letter to the President representing the ill effects of a Public exhibition of the Great Telescope and the in1pos- sibili ty of th ere b cing any great -amount of indi vid ual instruction gain d by it. Evening clear - examined Neptune critically~ George found some\vhat that rescmbl1;sa satellite~ 184 7 October 2 6 Tucsda)r: Busy ,,rriting -1\1r Place calld for mcasuresr for the fratlle of the nc,v chair. l\1ary Allen and her sister a re cngaged in cleaning the Do n1e, its condition , vas -a,v ef ul, so n1cthi n g like those portions of the co1nmon jn Boston, ,vhich have been the 1nost cro,vdcd~ on the n1orni11gnfter 11fourth of July. Clear, high \vind fro1n N\\l. sketch\l the solar spots. George completed his Tables. \V c arc in1patient to sec the satellite of Neptune, it ,vas cer~ r-ainlya _very faint object, and the measures, ahhough they agreed tolerably ,vell together, ,vere rather guesses than certain observations on account of its total invisibility ,vhcn the illuminated ,vircs ,vere brought over it. '"fhe moon too ,vas a great 11indrancc. . .. . In the evening the atniospllerc \V2S clenr~ but the stars appeared surrounded by haze, a misty bordert ,vith fits of extreme dilation, and again moment[s] of perfect transparency and quiet~ the satellite ,vns not visible, it being as ,\,.e supposed nearly in conjunction ,Yith the primary - had it been a star ,vhich ,ve had mistaken for -a s-a.teUiteaccording to the kno\vll motion of Neptune~it ,vould have been seen on the right

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) hand at some d istanee. angles -ofp ositi on and distance ,vcrc obtained

of the sr-ar ( or bright st~r as \Ve caU jt 7 in distinction of the satellite) giving the proper n1otion of N eptunc October 2 7 '''edncsday: Cold., clear Jnorning, bright moon1ight, not much to be done ,vjth nebulae under such circumstances., }ast evening I"eccived for the Observatory· a Lithe. portrait of the En1inent 1\1athe- 1naticia n C. fi .. Gauss 12 - presented by J)r Beck~ President Quincy., his Lady and l\-iissQuincy 13 visited the Observatory. In the evening, Prof ,, 1illin1ns-Prof Graham of J\..rcansas and Dr Gold\vin of Leicester England \Vere at the observatOf)T- and had pretty fair vie,v of Neptune~ Saturnt l\1ars &c ...

E\rcning clear and good secing1 obtained many measures of Neptune 1 his satelJite and the "bright start\ It is all but certain that this is a satellite, jt is this evening on the opposite side or belo,v the prirnary, and the angles of position jndicatc that it has follo,ved the planet, Gcorgc'"s ~nd n1y o,vn observation.r;;agree ,vcll together., & that ,vithout any· previous comn1unication in regard to position and distance, no

r.i I(arl Friedrich Gauss ( 1777-185; ) 1 famous Gcrn1an nrnthc1n,ajcfon 1 author of Tbeoria 'lllOtus corporuu1 coeie.stiznn (Ha1nburg, 1809 ), tr, C. H. Davis (Boston, I 857 )~ George Rond)s ""J.ccountof his: visit to Gauss in Gotdngen on Septeml,er 4, J 851 is qtiutcd anl-ioldcn1 OJJ. cit.i P· I 09. i~ Eliza Quincy's cnchanth1g 1etters to both George Bond and E. C . .Pickering (Han•a:rd A1·chj\!'cs) .1mpply a number of intim:1te details connected ,v.ith the Ob- :servatOij-...i jts benefactors and friends, and jn thanking Pkkerrng for his '']~st Report on the Observatory,." shortly after his becoming Dkcctor she ,vrotc (January 9, 1878) of her ' 1peculfo:r intercstH in the inqirution, '']1~\!'ing '\vfrnc~scd rny VS1.thc.r's labors in its f oundadon during hjs Presidency. I a1n sure Jle ,vould ll~ve been

p}ea:s-cdat you.r appointment to its carc 1 as there hns been Ufelong intinu.tc friend~ sl1ip bcnvccn your fa1nily & ours ... I ,-.,as indmate \1r'jth the Ilonds, & "'Jt the rcqucsi: of the c1deri ggvc the copy of Cra,vford'.s bust of mr Father to the library.,'' along ,.vhh his: H i.rtory, in the pre p,i ration of \\' h ichl as Jl~ ac kn o,v-Jedges in hls P refacei he relied h ~a\Tily on her :i ssism nee. Jr1 11rcsenti 11 g ti lC bust in l 86i sl1 e ob- ~erve d in her letter to George Do~d (l\f ay 19) that it ,vas "thought an ancomnionly .fine specin1en ..• 3nd as the Obscn·~tory ,·v.a.s:cstah1ishcd dudug :,ny f athcr 1s Presidency it seems appropdatc dint ~onlc likencs~ of him shou]d be pfoced there.,, She took care to see that crcdk for initiadng the Obsen..-atory should go to him!

correcting sh~r_p]yany other dain1, urvir, Bond,,, sht! ,.,rrotc Pickering (1\1arch 41 1 S8o) '\v-as very n111ch attached to ~1r. Quincy & from his urgent request for his liken cssi it seems pro ba b] e he foresaw· there ,vol]l

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 68 H arvnrd l.. Jbrary B11/leti11 supposed possible error of observation ,vill account for tl1c observed change - \\' cnt to bed early, h)7 eleven~ to prepare for tomorro,v night. '"fhe yjsitors deprived us of an hour's good seeing~ \:l/e 1a ttcr Iy u scd po\ v er of I oo o in out 111easu res , vith entire satisfaction .. examined l\l2rs under different po,vers, n1ade a .sketch of hin1. r847 October 2 8 Thursday: .... c~ndupon President Everett and learnt that the Corp.oration of the University, had voted to recind the rule ad111ittingthe Puhlic to the Ouscr,ratoryt they have published this decision in Several of the Boston Papers and in the Can1bridgc Chronicle ...... Extren 1el y p1 ea san t, obtained good sketch cs of the solar spots~ In the evening it proving excellent secing during the early hours - ,ve no longer doubt in regar

friends- and Prof. Longfcllo\V & Lad) 7~ his Brotl1cr nnd Jv1..i·sr""\\Tedge- "\VOOd f ron1 England and an English Gentlen1antand also n poor fcllo\v 1,vho had j ourneycd alJ the ,v~-)7 f rorn N C"\vBcdf ord expressly to Jook through the Telescope, a party fron1 Abington ,vcrc acco1nmodated at the sm-aUobservatory, .. there ,vas 111uchcloud from the East,v~rd but through the interstices " 1 e obtained son1c of tl1e n1ost satisfactory vie,ys of Saturn that \Ve have ever had .. I could trace the division of the ring nearly all the \vay on this side of the Planet- George got positions and dist anccs of Lassells satclli te . .. . he thought h c sa\V the other

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) Diary of tbe Two Ro11ds1 r846-1849 for a 111on1enttibut not so as to get a position. The .evening pas~'d off quietly., V{C nJadc se,,Tral sketches of j\1ars - it is in opposition and near the Earth. 1'1ov4 1 1'1onday·:A Dense. fog, ,vent into Boston to get our Dy·na- mctcr. It ,vas at the Custo1n house store on Union '''harf~ rnust be brought to the appraisers office before ,ve can get it. President Everett has published our observations on L-a.ssell'sSa.teUitc,. in the Dail JT,as ,vclI as our impressions as to a. sccon d satclli te. . . . In the e,Tening tl1ick fog again, did not 111akcany observations, ,vc expected the 1~ransit Circle Piers ,vould have been brought over to day-

2 Tu csda y: 1\1rs B & n1y self , vent over to \i\Tc3•m out h in th c Chn isc I in the morning there ,vas a dense fog all bclolv us, but I ,vns able to get T ranslts of stars and th c 1n oon, vt hile I ,vas absent, lvlr Chand ler brought one of the t\vo Piers nnd George rc1novcd the Tr3nsit lnstru- Jnent to the Prin1e vc rrical roorn & obtained a vtcsrern passage of a I"'yra. I returned to Cambridge before dark, it has been a sum1nerlike day - indeed the horse suffered from the heat~ Tn rhe cven1ng thick fog again but \Ve obtained positions & distances of th c l~a.sscllsa tel iite but sa,v nothing of our O\Vn, it may be near conjunction ... another sketch of l\1:trs \Tery different from th-at of the 30th - the hour is earlier.

Nov 3 \J?ednesda) 7 : 1\1rFrancis can1e and took up a portion of the floor of the Transit room, preparatory to i\1r. Chandlers exchanging the Piers. lv[r Chandler is here ,vith his men engaged in dra\ving up one of the Piers - last night ,vc \vatchd till 1nidnight 2nd George got positions of sn1all stars ju rhe gre~t nebula of Andromeda, he finds it tc dious , v or k 111easu ring for P ositi on and d ista n cci ,v c vcr y rn 11ch need a coarse n1icron1cter ,vith a large field & stout Vljrcs ... for A.R transit 'Jil

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) 70 liar1Jord l~ibraryHulletin Nov 4 Thnrsday: A Bright fnir morning- Venus in conjunction ,vith the n10011 about t\vo minutes south obtained many· 1neasurcs _of the dian1ctcrof Venus on a line perpendicular to the line joining the cusps, they agree t.o ..8 of a second and arc in the extre1nes of single observations~in groups of five observations the diffcrence fronl the 1nean ,vas nine hundredths of a second, n1adc a large nu1nber of readings I or the scre\v back,vard & f or\vard, the result sho\v-ed chat the scrc,v had not more than on. 003 dead run., a considerable nu1nber of n1easures on both sides gave four tenths of a second arc for the thickness of the ,vircs of rhc Great Position 1\1icro1neter- obtained P. \T. E & "\V of a Lyra quite a ,varm day., I\1r Chandler has ren1oved both the old Piers~ and has got one of the ne,v ones as far as the Door ,vny Early evening pretty good seeing, rather hazy- dense fog on the Io,v gronnd - ex::unined Nepmnc, LJs satellite near conjunction - s~nvthe s111allobject ,vhich ,vc suppose is another satellite; bet,veen the Pl-anct :and the ~right star very ncnrly in a line George ,vas occupied nll the rest of the evening in mapping stars in nebula Andron1 eda. Clouded in f ro1n the North ,vard & \\ 1 esnvard. 1\1arsdid not shc,v sufficiently ,vell to 111ap.The clouded or dark portion has a blueish tinge~ sometimes pretty decjded colour and again of a slate tinge. The rest is rather of an orange tint, not so deep a red us ,vhen seen by the naked cy·e cleaning the machinery of the Telescope. Nov 5 l?riday~ ..... n1ap'd solar spots- at ,vurk again on the great Telescope.. n1adcsundry alterations. 1.'hc Jo,vestpo,vcr ring n1icron1- ctcr has been rtvice bro ken by the carpenters both ti mes. ,~-1e shall hcreafter use it as a plain eye piece in outlining nebulae. One of the

ne,v piers ,vas this da)T set in place.,its 1nate arrived in the -afternoon1 ·' it is heavy ,vork n1anagingthese great masses - l\1r Chandler e.stitnates I; I I them to ,veigh three and a half tons each. Pleasant~ hut not .s_o\Varin I as yestcrd ay.. Evening clear, cool, not good seeing. The stars a re I blurry- & unstcad y. Las sell' s:S'i:l tell itc too near for n1easures - s11,v the i I supposed nc,v sat. three observers mark it above the line joining the • I star & Planet. George ,vork,d on Andron1cdn till past one oclock ,vhcn I took the Instruments for Orion, and he s"~ept,vith the comet seeker. 1847 Nov 6 Saturday--:George has adopted the 111cthodof reading the Circles of the I nstrun1 ~nt for positions of the various points in his nc bu la~ I ,v or k ,vi th th c n1icromcter alone, bringing the , vi res first in to 2. pa ral 1el of d eeli nations and tn easuring diffcrenccs of d eclin cion, , I i I!

. I . I

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968) Diary of tbe Tl'"u;oBonds, 1846-184!) then changing to obtain the differencesof the All in 3tc, probably a combination of the t,vo ,v:ays ,vill be found best~ reading the large circles for the position of certain points and filling up ,vith the mi- cromcrert in this ,vny the one n1ethod ,vill serve to check the other., they being quite independent of each other. J\1 r Chand Ier and his 111en are pro grcssin g ,vi th t11egrca t Piers ver5r ,v c]], the \ve ath er is rcn1ar ka blyr fin c for thc1n. Recci vcd Ietter s f ron1 i1r Cranch and Simms and from the Astronomer Royal l\1r Airy - The first mentioned v.7ritcsthnt the casting of the Trnnsit Circle ,vns found to be defective, after l\1r Sin1rns had proceeded soinc ,,~ay,vich the graduation, this must have been a ver) 7 serious loss to !vfr Sirnn1s, he has comn1enced de nova and ,vrites~ expressing regret at the delay and that notb in g shall on any account tak c prcc edence of it. 1\1:rAiry· ,vrites, that it so hnppcncd that he had examined ,vith the Pulkovn Telescope nearly the sa1ne objects, of ,vhich I l1ad described the

-appcgrancc.,his impression co1nparcd closely",vith 1nine. 4 •• J 847 Nov4 8 Jvfonday: ,:\lent into to,vni sa,,r l\1r Eliot, he has paid seven hundred dollars on -account of the obscr,Ting Chair, h c seems ,vell satisfied and disposed to do the utmost that the funds of the CoHcgc ,vill justif) 7 hi1n in doing~ ,vc 1nust have an cndo,vment and then 1vc can la)7 our plans accordingly. l\1r Chand]cr finished setting the Pjers they a.re ,vell match,d, and ,vcre both taken fronl the satne Bonlder. Nov. 1o \i\ 1cd nesd ~y: Prin1e vcrtica l ohserva tions. preparing the piers of the nc,v pri1nc vertical. E vcni ng exan1ined N cp tune. George ,vas occupied ,vit]1 the Cotnet seeker, l1c after,vords took the great Tele- scope and measured the points of the great nebula in Andron1eda.... 1847 Nov 12 Friday·: l\1r Chandler brought over the s1nall pier for the Transit circle, it is placed bcnvccn the t\vo ]arge piers, and its use is to support u basin of quicksilver for determining the Zero point on the Circle...•. Arranged ,vjch ~1r Boutelle of the U.S4 Coast survey·, to get up a signal on the spot ,vhere our n1eridian n1ark is to be p}aced, -asthey intend to observe upon it in the sc condar)r Triangulation4 This ·t;villgive us~ good b~sc line for future operations lvlr Paine can1e in the evening, bad seeing & soon clouded over. (To be concluded)

Harvard University - Houghton Library / Harvard University. Harvard Library bulletin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Library. Volume XVI, Number 1 (January 1968)