--In this year
I began to think seriously of determining the longitude of Valencia in
Ireland, as a most important basis for the scale of longitude in these
latitudes, by the transmission of chronometers; and in August I went
to Valencia and examined the localities. In September I submitted a
plan to the Admiralty, but it was deferred.--The new Commission for
restoring the Standards was appointed on June 20th, I being Chairman.
The work of collecting standards and arranging plans was going on; Mr
Baily attending to Standards of Length, and Prof. W.H. Miller to
Standards of Weight. We held two meetings.--A small assistance was
rendered to me by Mr Charles May (of the firm of Ransomes and May),
which has contributed much to the good order of papers in the
Observatory. Mr Robert Ransome had remarked my method of punching
holes in the paper by a hand-punch, the places of the holes being
guided by holes in a piece of card, and said that they could furnish
me with something better. Accordingly, on Aug. 28th Mr May sent me the
punching machine, the prototype of all now used in the Observatory.
"On Sept. 25th was made my proposal for an Altazimuth Instrument for
making observations of the Moon's place more frequently and through
parts of her orbit where she could never be observed with meridional
instruments; the most important addition to the Observatory since its
foundation.
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