28th June, 1847
Board reporting on state of Observatory Establishment at Parramatta.

Sydney, June 26th, 1847.
SIR,—Referring to your letter of the 14th April, the receipt of which we have the honour to acknowledge, appointing us Members of a Commission for the purpose of examining the Inventory of all the Instruments, Books, &c., belonging to the Observatory in this Colony.[15]

2. We have the honour to report to you for the information of His Excellency the Governor that on the 21st of the month we repaired to the Observatory, Parramatta, and there examined the Instruments and Books in the charge of Mr. James Dunlop, the Astronomer; a report of which we have the honour to enclose.[16]

3 We regret to state that the building is in a very delapidated state of repair, and the Instruments are likely, unless they are immediately protected from the weather, to be very much injured.

4. The floor and partitions of the building seem to be entirely destroyed by the white ant, and the building itself is so dilapidated as to require to be rebuilt.

5. Under these circumstances we would beg to recommend that the building be covered in such a way as may be considered best to secure the Instruments from further injury, where they may remain until another Observatory be built, the sight of which should, we respectfully suggest, be better left for selection by the Astronomer who may be appointed to succeed Mr. Dunlop[17], who is desirous of being relieved, inasmuch as his health entirely incapacitates him from the fatigue of observing.

The clock and smaller instruments might for greater security he packed up and enclosed in cases, but the instruments which are fixed had better be secured in their present positions, whereby there would be less risk of their receiving injury.[18]

We have the honor to be, Sir,
Your most obedient humble servants,
Phillip P. King,
Captain R.N.,

J. A. Gordon,
Rich. Rogers,
Ordinance Storekeeper.

The Hon. The Colonial Secretary.

47/5007
Report of a Commission appointed by the order of His Excellency the Governer, dated 14th April, 1847, for the purpose of examining the Inventory of Instruments and Books, &c., belonging to the Observatory at Parramatta.

Instruments

• An Astronomical Clock, by Brequet, with two square pendulums; reported to be in good order but not kept going.


• An Astronomical Clock, by Hardy, in good order, going at Sidereal Time,


• An Astronomical Clock, by Barraud, in good order, but not going


• An Astronomical Clock, by Gremalde, recently cleaned and in good order, stated by Mr. Dunlop to be in the Hall of Government House, where it has been seen by Captain King.


• A Mural Circle, with four eye pieces. The Instrument is stated to be in good order but requires cleaning. The pillar to which it is fixed has given way.


• A five and a half feet Transit, by Troughton, complete with Ys and hanging level. This instrument was taken from its place to make room for the Meridian Circle, it is in good order and ready for use.


• A sixteen inch Repeating Circle, by Reichenbach, the Verniers have been removed from the instrument, but are ready to be fitted. The has pillar has given way.


• An Equatorial Stand, and forty-six inch Achromatic Telescope by Banks. Both require cleaning but otherwise are ready for use. There is also a Micrometer Eye-piece in a separate case.


• A Parallactic Instrument, by Cambrier and Le Noir. Much damaged and unfit for use


• A Magnetic Transit, by Dolland, apparently fit for use.


• A Dipping Needl, by Gambey, apparently fit for use.


• Borda's Apparatus, for measuring the length of a Pendulum - damaged.


• A Platina Sphere, with knife-edges.


• A Diurnal variation Instrument.


• A Mountain Barometer, by Troughton, in good order.


• A Mountain Barometer, now at the South Head of Port Jackson.


• A Barometer, by Banks, in order, but not in use.


• A Kater's Azimuth Compass, in good order.


• A pair of eighteen inch Globes, date 1791, much injured.


• An Eirometer, by Jones, in order.


• An Hygrometer, By Saussiere, damaged.


• A Zenith Sector, in two cases, apparently having never been used, and considered to be in good order.


• A Night Glass—useless.


• Several Thermometers, broken and useless.


• A Telescope, by Berge, one of the glasses in the Eye-piece broken.


• A Sextant, by Jones, in order.


• An Artificial Horizon, by Jones


• A Microscope, by Banks.


• A Meridian Circle, forty-two inches in diameter, by Jones, the Telescope having an aperture of three and three-quarter inches. This instrument is set up where the five and a half feet Transit was fixed. The level is broken, and the Index Circle was very badly graduated, the setting vernier is fixed very inconveniently for directing the Telescope to the object, and is not graduated; Dot even with a Zero Line. Mr. Dunlop complains generally of the Instrument, as being so very unsatisfactory in its fittings and the graduation of the Circle itself as to be quite useless.


• Connected with the Meridian Circle is a thirty inch Transit, the Ys being fixed on stone pillars to serve as a Collimator.


• A Pocket Chronometer, by Dallas, requiring slight repairs.


• A Box Chronometer, by Dent, No. 220, in good order.


• A Levelling Telescope, Rod and Chain, Staves, &c., complete, in good order and ready for use.

The Instruments above enumerated have been individually seen by us; but the Mural Circle and the Sidereal Clock only are in use. Generally the Instruments require to be cleaned, and the stone pillars which have been erected on a bad foundation have sunk so much as to be out of the perpendicular.

The Building is in a very delapidated state, the partition walls having settled; the floor and partitions perfectly rotten from the effect of white ant; and the roof admitting rain in most parts, the canvas coverings of the domes are quite rotten and torn, and affords no protection to the Instruments; in fact, they are all but entirely exposed to the weather, and will soon be destroyed unless steps are taken to protect them, until another building be erected.

Books

Vol.

• One Navigation, by Dulague.


• One Bonycastle's Astronomy


• One Diviseurs des Nombres par Siddonne.


• One Simpson's Conic Sections.


• One Instruction sur les poides et les mésures.


• One Arithmétic de Mauduit.


• One Barlow's Theory of Numbers.


• One Etude de Ciel par Mallet.


• One Dowling's Key to Hutton's Course of Mathematics.


• Two Annales de Chimie.


• Six Dictionnaire de Physique


• One Plates to do.


• One Mackay's Mathematical Tables.


• One Treatise on Fluxions, by Vince.


• Leslie's Philosophy of Arithmetic.


• Three Salande's Astronomy.


• One Salande's Navigation.


• One Tables du Soleil par Delambre.


• Three Delambre's Astronomy.


• Three Base du Systéme Métrique.


• Two Leçons Méchanique par Prony.


• One Delambre's Histoire de l'Astronomie.


• One Wollaston's Fasciculus.


• Two Long's Astronomy.


• One Memoire sur l'Astronomie pratique.


• One (Fifth Vol.) Méchanique Celeste.


• Two Euler's Algebra.


• Three Shubert's Astronomy.


• One Algebra by Le Cloud.


• Two Ferguson's Astronomy.


• Two Traité de Géodesie par Puissant.


• One Traité de Géodesie par Puissant.


• Two Woodhouse's Astronomy.


• One Woodhouse's Astronomy, duplicate.


• Three Biot's Astronomy.


• One Biot's Trigonometry.


• Two Nicholson's Philosophy.


• One Ozanam's Trigonometry.


• One Leçons de Géometrie.


• One Traité des Pierres.


• One Astronomy de La Caille.


• Four Recréations Mathématiques.


• One Aritmétique de Bezout.


• One Introduction to Cauett's Logarithms.


• One Ferguson's Exercises.


• Two La Place, Système du Monde, translated by Pond.


• One Francoeur's Urauographie.


• Three Hutton's Course of Mathematics.


• One Traité d'Optique par La Caille.


• One Leslie's Elements of Geometry.


• One Tables de Logarithmes portateres.


• One Keith's Trigonometry.


• One Gnonomonique Elémentaire.


• One De Zach's Tables de la Lune.


• One Ewing's Astronomy.


• One Brent's Astronomy.


• One Biot's Tables Barométriques.


• Four Playfair's Works.


• One Œvres de Clermont.


• Two Numbers of 13th Book of Mécanique Celeste.


• One Piazzi's Observations for 1814.


• Two Voyages aux Terres Australes par Freycinet.


• Two Flinders' Voyages (no charts.)


• One Dupuis' Cours de Géometrie.


• La Place Mécanique Celeste.


• One Fauchen's Météorologie.


• One Brooks' Guide to the Stars.


• Two Annales de Travaux.


• Two La Croix, Traité de Calcul differentiel.


• Eleven De Zach's Correspondence Astronomique.


• Four Philosophical Magazine.


• Five Arts and Sciences.


• One Cagnoli Trigonométrie.


• Thirty-seven Philosophical Transactions.


• Two Philosophical Transactions (Edinburgh.)


• One (Third) Mudy's Trigonometrical Survey.


• One De Zach Catalogue.


• One Piazzi's Catalogue.


• One Callet's Logarithms.


• One Bode's Uranographie (maps).


• One La Croix Géometrie et Algèbre.


• Two Hutton's Mathematical Dictionary.


• One Jone's Geometry.


• One Journal de Physique.


• One Taylor's Logarithms.


• Seven Bessel's Observations.


• One Catalogue of Stars not inserted in the British Catalogue.


• One Hutton's Powers and Products of Numbers.


• One Maskelyne's Tables of Aberration and Notation.


• One Taylor's Sexagesimal Table.


• One Mendoza Rios' Navigation Tables.


• One Barlow's Mathematical Dictionary.


• One Hutton's Logarithms.


• One Bode's Jährbuch.


• One La Caille's Astronomy, by Robertson.


• One hundred and four Connaissance des Temps.


• One Hutton's Mensuration.


• Two De Zach's Tables of Aberration and Notation.


• One Collection of Astronomical Tables.


• One Astronomic des Marins.


• Three Beaux Arts.

Works received recently by Mr. Dunlop.

• Six Greenwich Observations.


• One Greenwich Reductions.


• Three Greenwich Appendix.


• Twelve Parts Cambridge Observations.


• One Account of John Flamsteed, and Supplement.


• One Beaufoy's Nautical Experiments.


• Five Edinburgh Observations.


• Three Numbers Cape of Good Hope Observations.


• One Number Cape of Good Hope Observations, in sheets.


• One Number Cape of Good Hope Observations, in boards.


• Four Numbers Madras Observations.


• One Groombridge's Catalogue of Circumpolar Stars.


• Nine Numbers Philosophical Transactions.


• Six Numbers Observation Magnétiques Météorologiques.


• Four Dorpat Observations


• One Parramatta Catalogue.


• One Halley's Comet.


• Eight Astronomical Society.


• Two Parts Theory of the Moon.


• Fourteen British Association Reports.


• Five Radcliff's Observations.


• A Collection of old Nautical Almanacs, Distances of the Moon from Planets, and several pamphlets and old books, more or less injured from damp, and of no value.


• Five Volumes of Observations made by Mr. Dunlop, partly reduced.

Phillip P. King,
Captain R.N.,

J. A. Gordon,
Rich Rogers,
Ordnance Storekeeper.

Parramatta, 21st June, 1847.

Bureau of Meteorology