went on so slowly that I almost despaired of ever again seeing the Observations in a creditable state.  After a most harassing correspondence, the printers were at length persuaded to move more actively, ... but the volume is still very much behind its usual time of publication.”—­“The Deal Time-Ball has now been erected by Messrs Maudslays and Field, and is an admirable specimen of the workmanship of those celebrated engineers.  The galvanic connection with the Royal Observatory (through the telegraph wires of the South Eastern Railway) is perfect.  The automatic changes of wire-communications are so arranged that, when the Ball at Deal has dropped to its lowest point, it sends a message to Greenwich to acquaint me, not with the time of the beginning of its fall (which cannot be in error) but with the fact that it has really fallen.  The Ball has several times been dropped experimentally with perfect success; and some small official and subsidiary arrangements alone are wanting for bringing it into constant use.”—­The operations for the galvanic determination of the longitude of Brussels are described, with the following conclusion:  “Thus, about 3000 effective signals were made, but only 1000 of these were admissible for the fundamental objects of the operation.  The result, I need scarcely remark, claims a degree of accuracy to which no preceding determination of longitude could ever pretend.  I apprehend that the probable error in the difference of time corresponds to not more than one or two yards upon the Earth’s surface.—­A careful scheme had been arranged for the determination of the longitude of Lerwick, but ’unfortunately, the demand for chronometers caused by our large naval armament has been so considerable that I cannot reckon on having at my disposal a sufficient number to carry on this operation successfully; and I have, therefore, unwillingly deferred it to a more peaceful time.’—­The covering stone of Halley’s Tomb in Lee Churchyard was much shattered, and I applied to the Admiralty for funds for its complete restoration:  these were granted on Feb. 3rd.—­In this year, under my cognizance, L100 was added to the Hansen grant.—­I had much correspondence and work in connection with the printing of Maclear’s work at the Cape of Good Hope.  In June, all accounts, &c. about the Transit Circle were closed at the Admiralty, and the instrument was completely mounted at the Cape.—­Dr Scoresby (who in his own way was very imperious) had attacked my methods of correcting the compass in iron ships:  I replied in a letter to the Athenaeum on Oct. 17th.—­I made enquiries about operations for determining the longitude of Vienna, but was utterly repelled by the foreign telegraph offices.—­In the Royal Astronomical Society; I prepared the Address on presenting the Medal to Ruemker.—­In Melbourne University:  The first letter received was from the Chancellor of the University dated Jan. 26th, requesting that Sir John Herschel, Prof.  Malden, Mr Lowe (subsequently Chancellor of the Exchequer),