ient
and traditional responsibilities of the Observatory have been most
carefully considered: and, in the last, the substitution of a new
instrument was so absolutely necessary, and the importance of
tolerating no instrument except of a high class was so obvious, that
no other course was open to us. I can only trust that, while the use
of the Equatoreal within legitimate limits may enlarge the utility and
the reputation of the Observatory, it may never be permitted to
interfere with that which has always been the staple and standard work
here.'--Concerning the Sheepshanks Fund: There was much correspondence
about settling the Gift till about Feb. 21st. I took part in the first
examination for the Scholarship in October of this year, and took my
place with the Trinity Seniority, as one of their number on this
foundation, for some general business of the Fund.--With respect to
the Correction of the Compass in Iron Ships: I sent Mr Ellis to
Liverpool to see some practice there in the correction of the
Compass. In September I urged Mr Rundell to make a voyage in the Great
Eastern (just floated) for examination of her compasses, and lent him
instruments: very valuable results were obtained. Mr Archibald Smith
had edited Scoresby's Voyage in the Royal Charter, with an
introduction very offensive to me: I replied fully in the Athenaeum of
Nov. 7th.--The Sale of Gas Act: An Act of Parliament promoted by
private members of the House of Commons had been passed, without the
knowledge or recollection of the Government. It imposed on the
Government various duties about the preparation of Standards.
Suddenly, at the very expiration of the time allowed this
came to the knowledge of Government. On Oct. 1st Lord Monteagle
applied to me for assistance. On Oct. 15th and 22nd I wrote to Mr
Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, and received authority to ask for
the assistance of Prof. W.H. Miller.--I made an examination of Mr
Ball's eyes (long-sighted and short-sighted I think).--In February I
made an Analysis of the Cambridge Tripos Examination, which I
communicated to some Cambridge residents." In a letter on this subject
to one of his Cambridge friends Airy gives his opinion as follows: "I
have looked very carefully over the Examination Papers, and think them
on the whole very bad. They are utterly perverted by the insane love
of Problems, and by the foolish importance given to wholly useless
parts of Algebraical Geometry. For the sake of