Not deeming it probable that his daughter had anticipated the observers of this country and Europe in the discovery of this comet, no steps were taken by Mr. Mitchell with a view to obtaining the king of Denmark’s medal.  Prompt information, however, of the discovery was transmitted by Mr. Mitchell to his friend, William C. Bond, Esq., director of the observatory at Cambridge.  The observations of the Messrs. Bond upon the comet commenced on the 7th of October; and on the 30th were transmitted by me to Mr. Schumacher, for publication in the “Astronomische Nachrichten.”  It was stated in the memorandum of the Messrs. Bond that the comet was seen by Miss Mitchell on the 1st instant.  This notice appeared in the “Nachrichten” of Dec. 9, 1847, and the priority of Miss Mitchell’s discovery was immediately admitted throughout Europe.

My attention had been drawn to the subject of the king of Denmark’s comet medal by some allusion to it in my correspondence with Professor Schumacher, in reference to the discovery of telescopic comets by Mr. George P. Bond, of the observatory at Cambridge.  Having learned some weeks after Miss Mitchell’s discovery that no communication had been made on her behalf to the trustees of the medal, and aware that the regulations in this respect were enforced with strictness, I was apprehensive that it might be too late to supply the omission.  Still, however, as the spirit of the regulations had been complied with by Mr. Mitchell’s letter to Mr. Bond of the 3d of October, it seemed worth while at least to make the attempt to procure the medal for his daughter.  Although the attempt might be unsuccessful, it would at any rate cause the priority of her discovery to be more authentically established than it might otherwise have been.

I accordingly wrote to Mr. Mitchell for information on the subject, and applied for, and obtained from Mr. Bond, Mr. Mitchell’s original letter to him of the 3d of October, with the Nantucket postmark.  These papers were transmitted to Professor Schumacher, with a letter dated 15th and 24th January.

On the 8th of February I wrote a letter to my much esteemed friend, Captain W.H.  Smyth, R.N., formerly president of the Astronomical Society at London, requesting him to interest himself with Professor Schumacher to obtain the medal for Miss Mitchell.  Captain Smyth entered with great readiness into the matter, and addressed a note on the subject to Mr. Airy, the Astronomer Royal, at Greenwich.  Mr. Airy kindly wrote to Professor Schumacher without loss of time; but it was their united opinion that a compliance with the condition relative to immediate notice of a discovery was indispensable, and that it was consequently out of their power to award the medal to Miss Mitchell.  Mr. Schumacher suggested, as the only means by which this difficulty could be overcome, an application to the Danish government, through the American legation at Copenhagen.