Autobiography of Sir George Biddell AiryAiry, George Biddell
Science
Autobiography of Sir George Biddell Airy
Airy, George Biddell
Airy, George Biddell, 1801-1892; Astronomers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Autobiographies; Royal Greenwich Observatory
"On Jan. 3rd I was informed unofficially by Mr Wood (Admiralty
Secretary) that the addition of the Magnetic Ground was sanctioned. On
Feb. 16th Mr Rhodes (an officer of the Department of Woods and Works)
came to put me formally in possession of the ground. Between Apr. 26th
and May 13th the ground was enclosed, and my garden was completely
protected from the public. The plan of the building was settled, and
numerous experiments were made on various kinds of concrete: at last
it was decided to build with wood.
"After a dinner given by Lord Burlington, Chancellor, the first
meeting of the London University was held on Mar. 4th, and others
followed. On Apr. 18th I handed to the Chancellor a written protest
against a vote of a salary of _£1000_ to the Registrar: which salary,
in fact, the Government refused to sanction. Dissensions on the
question of religious examination were already beginning, but I took
little part in them.
"In 1833 Mr Henderson had resigned the superintendance of the Cape of
Good Hope Observatory, and Mr Maclear was appointed. I recommended the
same Official Instructions for him (they had included an allusion to
La Caille's Arc of Meridian) with an addition on the probability of
Trigonometrical Survey, on Aug. 8th, 1837. On Feb. 24th, 1837, I wrote
to Beaufort suggesting that Bradley's Sector should be used for
verifying the astronomical determinations, and subsequently received
the approval of the Admiralty. In June Sir J. Herschel and I had an
interview with Mr Wood on the Cape equipment generally. The Sector was
erected with its new mounting, careful drawings were made of every
part, instructions were prepared for its use, and on Aug. 10th it was
sent to Woolwich Dockyard and shipped for the Cape.
"Of private history: On Aug. 23rd I started with my wife for an
excursion in South Wales, &c. On Sept. 9th I gave a lecture in the
Town Hall of Neath. While at Swansea we received news of the death of
my wife's father, the Rev. Richard Smith, and returned at once.--In
this year Arthur Biddell bought the little Eye estate for me."
1838
"Cambridge Observatory:--On Dec. 29th, 1837, I had set Mr Glaisher to
work in collecting the annual results for star-places from the
Cambridge Observations, to form one catalogue: I examined the
calculations and the deduced catalogue, and on Dec. 14, 1838,
presented it to the Royal Astronomical Society, under the title of
'The First Cambridge Catalogue.'--For the Northumberland telescope I
was engaged with Simms about the clockwork from time to time up to
Apr. 30th, and went to Cambridge about it. The instrument was brought
to a useable state, but some small parts were still wanting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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