1832

“In January my Examination Paper for Smith’s Prizes was prepared as usual.—­Two matters (in addition to the daily routine of Observatory work) occupied me at the beginning of this year.  One was the translation of Encke’s Paper in successive numbers of the Astronomische Nachrichten concerning Encke’s Comet; the University Press printed this gratuitously, and I distributed copies, partly by the aid of Capt.  Beaufort.—­The other was the Report on Astronomy for the British Association, which required much labour.  My reading for it was principally in the University Library (possibly some in London), but I borrowed some books from F. Baily, and I wrote to Capt.  Beaufort about the possible repetition of Lacaille’s Meridian Arc at the Cape of Good Hope.  The Report appears to have been finished on May 2nd.—­At this time the Reform Bill was under discussion, and one letter written by me (probably at Sheepshanks’s request) addressed I think to Mr Drummond, Lord Althorp’s secretary, was read in the House of Commons.

“Optics were not neglected.  I have some correspondence with Brewster and Faraday.  On Mar. 5th I gave the Cambridge Philosophical Society a Paper ‘On a new Analyzer,’ and on Mar. 19th one ’On Newton’s Rings between two substances of different refractive powers,’ both Papers satisfactory to myself.—­On the death of Mr F. Fallows, astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope Observatory, the Admiralty appointed Mr Henderson, an Edinburgh lawyer, who had done some little things in astronomical calculation.  On Jan. 10th I discussed with him observations to be made, and drew up his Official Instructions which were sent on Jan. 10th.—­On Feb. 16th Sir James South writes that Encke’s Comet is seen:  also that with his 12-inch achromatic, purchased at Paris, and which he was preparing to mount equatoreally, he had seen the disk of Aldebaran apparently bisected by the Moon’s limb.—­Capt.  Beaufort and D. Gilbert write in March about instructions to Dunlop, the astronomer at Paramatta.  I sent a draft to Capt.  Beaufort on Apr. 27th.

“The Preface to my 1831 Observations is dated Mar. 20th.  The distribution of the book would be a few weeks later.—­On May 7th I began my Lectures:  51 names:  I finished on May 29th.—­The mounting of the Equatoreal was finished some time before the Syndicate Visitation at the end of May, but Jones’s charge appeared to be exorbitant:  I believe it was paid at last, but it was considered unfair.—­On June 2nd I went to London:  I presume to the Greenwich Visitation.—­I went to Oxford to the meeting of the British Association (lodging I think with Prof.  Rigaud at the Observatory) on June 16th, and read part of my Report on Astronomy in the Theatre.