“In this year it was arranged that my Treasury accounts were to be transferred to the Admiralty, making the simplification which I had so long desired.—­From the Report to the Visitors it appears that a relic of the Geodetic operations commenced in 1787 for connecting the Observatories of Greenwich and Paris, in the shape of an observing cabin on the roof of the Octagon Room, was shifted and supported in such a manner that the pressure on the flat roof was entirely avoided.—­With regard to the Transit Circle, the new Collimators with telescopes of seven inches aperture had been mounted.  When the Transit Telescope directed vertically is interposed, the interruptions in the central cube impair the sharpness of definition, still leaving it abundantly good for general use.  It had been regarded as probable that the astronomical flexure of the telescope, after cutting away small portions of the central cube, would be found sensibly changed:  and this proved to be the case.  The difference of flexures of the two ends has been altered more than a second of arc.—­Referring to a new Portable Altazimuth which had lately been tested, the Report states as follows:  ’I may mention that a study of defects in the vertical circle of a small Altazimuth formerly used by me, and an inspection of the operations in the instrument-maker’s work-shop, have convinced me that the principal error to be feared in instruments of this class is ovality of the graduated limb; this cannot be eliminated by two microscopes, and such an instrument should never be fitted with two only.  Our instrument has four.’—­’In Osler’s Anemometer, a surface of 2 square feet is now exposed to the wind instead of one foot as formerly; and the plate is supported by weak vertical springs instead of rods running on rollers.  Its indications are much more delicate than formerly.’—­’The Meteors on Nov. 14th were well observed.  Eight thousand and three hundred were registered.  The variations of frequency at different times were very well noted.  The points of divergence were carefully determined.’—­Referring to the gradual improvement in the steadiness of chronometers from 1851 to 1866, it appears that from 1851 to 1854 the ‘trial number’ (which is a combination of changes of weekly rate representing the fault of the chronometer) varied from 34.8s to 52.5s, while from 1862 to 1866 it varied from 21.2s to 25.8s.—­The following statement will shew the usual steadiness of the Great Clock on the Westminster Palace:  On 38 per cent. of days of observation, the clock’s error was below 1s.  On 38 per cent, the error was between 1s and 2s.  On 21 per cent. it was between 2s and 3s.  On 2 per cent. between 3s and 4s.  On 1 per cent. between 4s and 5s.—­The Report contains an account of the determination of the longitude of Cambridge U.S. by Dr B. A. Gould, by means of galvanic currents through the Atlantic Cable, in the spring of 1867:  and advantage was taken of this opportunity for re-determining the longitude