aarlem lake,
and then drove to it. Imagine a round tower with a steam-cylinder in
its center; and the piston which works up-and-down, instead of working
one great beam as they usually do, works _eight_, poking out on
different sides of the round tower, and each driving a pump 6 feet in
diameter. I am glad to have seen it. Then by railway here.

* * * * *

1852

"Galvanic communication was now established with Lewisham station
(thus giving power of communicating with London, Deal, &c.).--From the
Report to the Board of Visitors it appears that, in the case of the
Transit Circle, the azimuth of the Instrument as determined by
opposite passages of the Pole Star had varied four seconds; and in the
case of the Altazimuth, there was a discordance in the azimuthal zeros
of the Instrument, as determined from observations of stars. In both
cases it was concluded that the discordances arose from small
movements of the ground.--Under the head of 'General Remarks' in the
Report, the following paragraph occurs: 'It will be perceived that the
number of equatoreal observations made here at present is small: and
that they are rarely directed to new comets and similar objects which
sometimes excite considerable interest. This omission is
intentional. It is not because the instrumental means are wanting (for
our Equatoreals, though not comparable to those of either Cambridge,
or of Pulkowa, are fully equal to those usually directed to such
objects), but it is because these observations are most abundantly
supplied from other observatories, public and private, and because the
gain to those observations from our taking a part in them would,
probably, be far less than the loss to the important class of
observations which we can otherwise follow so well. Moreover, I am
unwilling to take any step which could be interpreted as attempting to
deprive the local and private observatories of honours which they have
so nobly earned. And, finally, in this act of abstinence, I am
desirous of giving an example of adhesion to one principle which, I am
confident, might be extensively followed with great advantage to
astronomy:--the principle of division of labour.'--Discoveries of
small planets were now not infrequent: but the only one of interest to
me is Melpomene, for the following reason. On 1852 June 24 I lost my
most dear, amiable, clever daughter Elizabeth: she died at
Southampt