Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 44167-h.htm or 44167-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44167/44167-h/44167-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44167/44167-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/royalobservatory00maun Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. The carat character (^) indicates that the following letter is superscripted (example: II^s). If two or more letters are superscripted they are enclosed in curly brackets (example: D^{NI}). [Illustration: FLAMSTEED, THE FIRST ASTRONOMER ROYAL. (_From the portrait in the 'Historia Coelestis.'_)] THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY GREENWICH A Glance at Its History and Work by E. WALTER MAUNDER, F.R.A.S. With Many Portraits and Illustrations from Old Prints and Original Photographs London The Religious Tract Society 56 Paternoster Row, and 65 St. Paul's Churchyard 1900 London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Limited, Stamford Street and Charing Cross. PREFACE I was present on one occasion at a popular lecture delivered in Greenwich, when the lecturer referred to the way in which so many English people travel to the ends of the earth in order to see interesting or wonderful places, and yet entirely neglect places of at least equal importance in their own land. 'Ten minutes' walk from this hall,' he said, 'is Greenwich Observatory, the most famous observatory in the world. Most of you see it every day of your lives, and yet I dare say that not one in a hundred of you has ever been inside.' Whether the lecturer was justified in the general scope of his stricture or not, the particular instance he selected was certainly unfortunate. It was not the fault of the majority of his audience that they had not entered Greenwich Observatory, since the regulations by which it is governed forbade them doing so. These rules are none too stringent, for the efficiency of the institution would certainly suffer if it were made a 'show' place, like a picture gallery or museum. The work carried on therein is too continuous and important to allow of interruption by daily streams of sightseers. To those who may at some time or other visit the Observatory it may be of interest to have at hand a short account of its history, principal instruments, and work. To the far greater number who will never be able to enter it, but who yet feel an interest in it, I would trust that this little book may prove some sort of a substitute for a personal visit.