Letters from New York, Part III [pp. 308-312]

308 Letters from New York. (MAt,
Simultaneously with these observations, you
will, as far as practicable, determine the positions of such stars as have different declinations
or right ascensions assigned to them in the most
accredited Ephemerides.
You will, from time to time, report directly to
this Department the progress of the work.
Respectfully, yours,
(Signed) GEORGE BANCROFT.
LIEUT. M. F. MAURY, Superintendent
Of the Observatory, Washington."
"The foregoing is a true copy of a letter printed in the Appendix to the'Washington Astronomical Observations.'
J. S. KENNARD,
Passed Mid'n U. S. Navy."
This order is the surface current, and without
looking deeper, it may hereafter be construed into
the original first idea. Its date is "March 6;"
but here is the little under-current which took its
rise two months before, and makes the upper one
clear.
; ORDER
OBSERVATIONS FOR 1846.
A regular series to be kept up on Polaris, aLyrae, and 61 Cygni, and on the Sun, Moon and
Planets; and by the West Transit on the Moon
culminators of the Nautical Almanac.
At least ten observations with each of the
Meridional instruments are to be made on every
Nautical Almanac Star visible during the year.
The list of clock stars to be revised. The
Prime Vertical will continue its observations upon
aLyrae daily; and upon 61 Cygni. and mLacertae, as soon as the last two shall be in position.
It will also observe upon as many stars of the
first or second magnitude as practicable, and will
catalogue between the Zenith and 300 N. Declination.
The Meridian and Mural Circles will Catalogue in alternate belts of 50 Declination, the former commencing with 45~ South, and extending
to 350 South; one observation upon each star,
cluster and nebula will suffice for the Catalogue
in this part of the heavens.
The West Transit will sweep in belts adjoining the Mural.
Each instrument will number its own stars,
beginning with No. 1, and will also quote magnitudes of the stars (standards for which have
been given) and assign weight to every observation.
(Signed) M. F. MAURY.
January 5th, 1846."
"The above is a true copy of an order printed
in the Appendix to the'Washington Astronomical Observations.'
J. S. KENrARD,
Passed Mid'n U. S. Navy."
I have therefore chosen, gentlemen, to take
this memorial from its humble place in the Observatory, to bring it with me, and ask to have
it placed on record here with the Historical So
ciety of my native State. It may be uselesswe cannottell. It is our duty to keep the stream
of history as it passes by us, pure and clear;
and then, we can safely leave the rest to time.
LETTERS FROM NEW-YORK.
NEW-YORK, April 1849.
"Cooper's new novel"-a phrase once of far
more pleasing import than at present-has just
appeared. Its title, "The Sea-Lions or the Lost
Sealers," promises much more than it performs.
I cannot say that I have read it; I endeavored
honestly to do so, and failed. It is very dull, and
bears no more comparison to "The Pilot," "The
Red Rover," or even "The Two Admirals," than
does the drone of a bagpipe to the merriest horn
in Gung'l's band. Mr. Cooper grows garrulous
in his old age. He was never remarkable for
good temper, and seems to have lost the little
that he once possessed. In these two ill-printed,
dingy little volumes, there is hardly
— " A dash of purity and brightness
To show the man of sense and of politeness"
but such and so frequent are the carping and
scolding-irrelevant strangely to the subject-matter-that one associates the author with his idea
of Tam O' Shanter's spouse, when she sate in
the chimney-corner,
"Gathering her brows like gathering storm,
Nursing her wrath to keep it warm."
Ever since Mr. Cooper's return to his own country from a somewhat "lengthy" expatriation, he
has looked upon himself as avictim to "the ingratitude of Republics." He has, accordingly, omitted
no opportunity to expatiate on our faults and
foibles. In "Home as Found" his anger triumphed over his judgment, so that he condescended to reflect, with undue severity, even on
the conduct and manners of his fair compatriots.
I have sometimes wondered what Mr. Cooper
expected on his return home. Did he presume
that he should be hailed with universal acclamations? Did he look for an ovation? Were victorious wreaths to crown his brow, and arches of
triumph to be thrown over his pathway? Were people to be astonished out of their usual equanimity?
Was he to be regarded as a prodigy? Surely, if
he expected aught beyond the deference and attention commonly paid to men of talent, he was
grievously disappointed. "Progress" had been
doing great things during his absence abroad.
The mind of the country had grown upward,
308
Letters from New Yorkc.
[MA-t