The great Lick refractor, which appears to have been “first directed to the heavens from its permanent home on Mount Hamilton on the evening of January 3, 1888,” has been found ample work by the zealous astronomers who have it in charge. Prof. Holden, in speaking of it, says:—“It needs peculiar conditions, but when all the conditions are favourable its performance is superb.” Mr. Keeler, one of the observers, writes that, on January 7, 1888, when Saturn was examined, “he not only shone with the brilliancy due to the great size of the objective, but the minutest details of his surface were visible with wonderful distinctness. The outlines of the rings were very sharply defined with a power of 1000.” Mr. Keeler adds:—“According to my experience, there is a direct gain in power with increase of aperture. The 12-inch equatoreal brings to view objects entirely beyond the reach of the 6½-inch telescope, and details almost beyond perception with the 12-inch are visible at a glance with the 36-inch equatoreal. The great telescope is equal in defining power to the smaller ones.” This is no small praise, and it must have been extremely gratifying, not only to those who were immediately associated with the construction of the telescope, but to astronomers everywhere who were hoping to hear a satisfactory report. In its practical results this instrument has not yet, it is true, given us a discovery of any magnitude. It has disclosed several very small stars in the trapezium of the Orion nebula, some difficult double stars have been found and measured, and some interesting work has been done on the planets and nebulæ. Physical details have been observed in the ring nebula, between β and γ Lyræ, which no other telescope has ever reached before.