Possibly Sir David Gill may have had the photograph of Comet Tewfik in mind when he heard of attempts which had been made by Mr. Shoyer of Cape Town, and Mr. Simpson of Aberdeen, to photograph the comet of 1882. The results had been so far successful as to prove that the comet was capable of giving a distinct impression after sufficiently long exposure. But it was owing to the cordial and enthusiastic assistance of Mr. Allis, photographer of Mowbray, that the first pictures of the comet were obtained. When Mr. Allis, under the direction of Sir David Gill, fastened a simple portrait camera upon the tube of one of the Cape telescopes, and pointed it at the great comet, little did he dream that the experiment would eventually lead to such great results in the future. One can imagine the thrill of triumph as the experimenter watched the gradual process of development on the photographic plate, until, as if by magic, a fine comet was revealed outlined against a starry background. Thus, three or four photographs were obtained, which excited the greatest interest among astronomers in the northern hemisphere. Possibilities were suggested with regard to the construction of a self-recording photographic star chart, thus replacing the painstaking hand-drawn star charts of the Herschels, Argelander, my father, and other astronomers at various times engaged in such work. The gigantic undertaking was ultimately divided among nineteen observatories situated in northern and southern climes, which will eventually result in a marvelous collection of star charts. These will include millions of stars, forming a celestial library which may be consulted at leisure either now or a century hence when the makers thereof may have become a mere memory. If a supplementary set is made in the future, comparisons between the two series may result in important information with regard to star drift. (It was by comparing star charts thus made a century apart, that my father originated the star-drift theory, by his observations in connection with the five stars of Ursa Major in 1868, a theory confirmed by the spectroscopic investigations of Dr. Huggins.) Celestial photography, owing to Dr. Gill’s suggestion with regard to the star-gemmed photographs of the comet of 1882, may add greatly to our knowledge in connection with such problems, the records of the past thus becoming the star-lettered volumes for the students of the future. Undoubtedly this achievement, the result of the photographs taken of the great comet of 1882, ranks high among those which make astronomy appeal so vividly to the imagination.