The Reminiscences of an Astronomer

by Simon Newcomb

Garfield, James A., first acquaintance with, 353; his early life,
354; injustice done him, 354; his intellectual gifts, 355;
assassination of, 356.
Geological Survey, circumstances leading to origin of, 252-255;
attacks on, 261.
Gibraltar, determination of the longitude of, 284, 299.
Gill, Sir David, 176.
Gillis, Capt. J. M., superintendent of Naval Observatory, 99;
obtains new transit circle, 105.
Gilman, Daniel C., 403.
Gladstone, William Ewart, meeting with, 273, 276.
Glaisher, J. W. L., 72.
Goldsborough, Admiral, 340.
Gould, Benjamin A., personality, 78; Dudley Observatory directorship,
80; candidate for Naval Observatory director, 111.
Gould, Dr. E. R. L., 393.
Gravitation, detestable to some minds, 381.
Green, Capt. F. M., 284.
Greenwich Observatory, situation, 285; value of observations at, 288.
Grubb, Sir Howard J., 156, 185.

Hagar, Judge, 189.
Hale, Eugene P., 123.
Hale, George E., 126.
Hall, Asaph, 107; discovers satellites of Mars, 141.
Hamlin, Hannibal, 128.
Harkness, William, appointed to Naval Observatory, 107; shares honor
of discovering brightest line in spectrum of sun's corona, 113;
director of Observatory, 180.
Harrington, attorney, 367.
Harvard Observatory, Prof. Newcomb called to directorship of, 211;
Pickering's directorship, 212.
Hassler, J. J. S., 264.
Hansen, Prof., greatest master of celestial mechanics, 315, 316.
Hayden, Prof. F. V., 253.
Hayes, Rutherford B., 242, 259.
Hedrick, Prof., 73.
Hell, Father Maximilian, his alleged forgery, 154.
Henry, Prof. Joseph, Prof. Newcomb's relations with, 1, 54, 58, 161;
characteristics, 234-237; on spiritualism, 408.
Herbert, Hilary A., 231.
Hewitt, A. S., 255.
Hilgard, J. E., 1, 59; in charge of Coast Survey, 65, 128.
Hill, George W., 218, 219, 221.
Hill, Thomas Prescott, 400.
Holcombe, Lieut. J. H. L., 174.
Holden, Prof. E. S., 184-194.
Horsford, E. N., 74.
Hubbard, Prof. J. S., head astronomer of Naval Observatory, 98;
in charge of mural circle, 102.
Huggins, Sir William, 279.
Hughes, Thomas, 272.
Humphreys, Gen., chief of engineers, 256.
Hurst, Lulu, the "Georgia magnetic girl," exhibitions of, 412-416.

Illusion, an astronomical, 137.
Inch, Richard, United States engineer, 361.

Jennings, Mr., cooling device of, 358.
Jewett, C. C., 237.

Keeler, James E., 191.
Kelvin, Lord, 248.
Kerr, Prof., 73.
King, Clarence, 258, 259.
Knobel, E. B., 380.
Koresh, his theory, 385.

Lamar, Judge Lucius, 264.
Langley, Prof. Samuel P., 240.
Language, advantage of not knowing a, 306.
Laplace, the "Mécanique Céleste" of, 1.
Lardner's "Popular Lectures on Science and Art," 19.
Lawrence, Prof. Smith J., 56.
Lee, Gen. Robert E., 339.
Lee's "Tables and Formulæ," 56.
Leverrier, M., two views of, 328; meeting with, 330; his merits, 331.
Leverrier and Hansen's systems of planetary computation, 219.
Lick, James, 182.
Lick Observatory, origin of, 182; location discussed, 187; telescope
at, 185; Holden's administration, 192; Keeler's administration,
194; Campbell's administration, 194.
Lincoln, Pres., his war-time receptions, 342; assassination of, 344;
trial of assassins, 345.
Lister, Lord, 278.
Litchfield Observatory, founder of, 374.
Loomis, E. J., 74.
Lowe, Mr. (Viscount Sherbrooke), 276.

Mahan, Prof. D. H., 335.
Mars, discovery of the satellites of, 141.
Marsh, Prof. O. C., exposure of Indian ring, 263; relation to "Wild
West," 265; exposure of Cardiff giant, 266; his modern fossil, 269.
Maskelyne, Rev. Nevil, 152.
"Mathematical Monthly," foundation of, 84.
Mathematics and exact sciences, state of, in America, 402.
Maury, Matthew F., work of, 103.
McCook, Gen. A. D., 341.
McCormick, L. J., 132.
McCulloch, Hugh, 244, 402.
McMickan, Captain, of Cunard Line, 271.
McTavish, Governor, 91.
"Mécanique Céleste," first sight of, 56.
Meier, John, 223.
Meridian conference of 1884, 226.
Mill, John Stuart, 272.
Mills, D. O., 183.
Miner and Tully's "Fevers of the Connecticut Valley," 33.
Monroe, Rev. Alexander H., 36 n.
Moore, Capt. W. S., 361.
Moore's Navigator, 17.
Morrill, Justin S., 124.

National Academy of Science, early proceedings, 251; report of
Geological Survey, 255; report of Forestry System, 261.
"National Intelligencer," letter in, 55.
Natural Philosophy, Mrs. Marcet's Conversations on, 18.
Nautical Almanac, assistants on, 66; in charge of, 120.
Naval Observatory, early history of, 102; work at, 109; conditions
at, 110; civilian head proposed, 111; views of administration in
regard to, 112; reports of eclipse of 1870, 113; visit of Emperor
Dom Pedro, 117; efforts to improve, 122; Board of Visitors
appointed, 126; telescope of, 128; Congressional action regarding
new telescope, 131; observations of satellites of Neptune, 136,
141; search for companion of Procyon, 138.
Negro, characteristics of, 346; education of, 348.
Neptune, observation of the satellites of, 136, 141.
Newall, R. S., 133.
Newcomb, John, father of Simon, characteristics and marriage, 4.
Newcomb, Simon, the first, 2.
Newcomb, Judge Simon B., 2.
Newcomb, Prof. Simon, ancestry, 2, 3; parentage, 6; early education
at Bedeque, 9; begins study of arithmetic, 10; influence of books,
14-22; winter spent with farmer Jefferson, 18; residence at
Yarmouth, 23; ancestral home, 23; begins study of medicine, 27;
manufacture of botanic medicine under Dr. Foshay, 31, 32; joins
temperance lodge, 37; intimacy with Parkin family, 39; first sight
of Smithsonian, 52; reading in political economy, 53; study of
Newton's "Principia," 54; first attempt at mathematical paper, 54;
letter in "National Intelligencer," 55; Colonel Abert sends Lee's
"Tables and Formulæ," 56; letter from Prof. L. J. Smith, 56;
teaching in a planter's family, 56; first sight of "Mécanique
Céleste," 56; assistant on staff of Nautical Almanac, 66;
discussion of Darwin's "Origin of Species," 70; student in Lawrence
Scientific School, 74; acquaintance with Dr. B. A. Gould, 78;
friendship with William P. G. Bartlett, 83; journey in 1860 to
observe solar eclipse, 88; meets Governor Ramsey and Edward
Eggleston, 89; received by Governor McTavish, 91; Saskatchewan
journey, 92; candidate for professorship in Washington University,
95; application for professorship in Naval Observatory, 97; early
experience at Observatory, 101; edits Yarnall's observations, 105;
in charge of mural circle, 107; journey to observe 1869 eclipse,
113; new transit circle, 114; investigation of moon's motion, 115;
visit of Dom Pedro to Observatory, 117; assumes charge of Nautical
Almanac Office, 120; verification of satellites of Mars, 141;
transit of Venus expedition to Europe, 167; expedition to Cape of
Good Hope, 174; agent of Lick Observatory trustees, 184; first
meeting with Schaeberle, 190; study of orbits of asteroids, 195;
problems of astronomy, 198; motion of moon, 202; occultations of
stars, 207; offered Harvard Observatory directorship, 211; head of
Nautical Almanac Office, 214; policy of office, 216, 233;
computations for Planet Tables, 216; assistants, 218; suggestions
to Meridian Conference, 226; computations regarding fixed stars,
230; member Yale Alumni Association, 241; member Washington
Scientific Club, 244; first trip to Europe, 271; meets Thomas
Hughes, 272; John Stuart Mill, 272; William Ewart Gladstone, 273;
General Burnside, 273; attends banquet of Royal Society, 276; visit
to Lord Lister, 278; meets Prof. Cayley, 280; Prof. J. C. Adams
calls, 281; determination of Gibraltar longitude, 284; visits
Greenwich, 285; friendship with Sir George Airy, 285-289; visits
Edinburgh, 292; meets Prof. Blackie, 294; joins party of English
astronomers bound for Algeria, 295; stormy voyage, 296; at
Gibraltar, 297; Sir James Anderson, an old acquaintance, 300;
Mediterranean trip, 302-305; Wilhelm Förster, a Berlin acquaintance,
306; meets great astronomer Auwers, 306; visits Pulkova Observatory,
309; winter ride in Russia, 310; first meeting with Hansen, 315;
arrives in Paris during German evacuation, 319; visits Paris
Observatory, 321; meets Leverrier, 330; Washington during Civil War
and after, 334-371; two days military service, 339; assassination
of Lincoln, 344; attends trial of conspirators, 345; acquaintance
with Sumner, 349; with President Garfield, 353; asked to device
means for cooling his sick chamber, 357; suggestions for location
of bullet, 358; experience with eccentric theorists, 381-389;
assists in obtaining entrance of American students to French
universities, 396; object lesson in regard to education in mountain
regions of South, 397; studies in economics, 399; publishes
"Critical Examination of our Financial Policy during the Southern
Rebellion," 402; contribution to "North American Review," 402;
conference with Prof. Daniel C. Gilman, 403; contributions to
economic literature: "A Plain Man's Talk on the Labor Question,"
"Principles of Political Economy," 408; "Psychical Research,"
410-412.
Nixon, Thomas, 37, 41.

Occultism, 93.
Old Peake, janitor of the Smithsonian, 58.
Oldright, Mr., 53.
Oliver, James E., 72.
Ommaney, Sir Erastus, 295.

Paine, Thomas, 3.
Paradoxers, experience with, 382.
Paris Conference, conclusions of, 230; attacked by Prof. Boss and
S. C. Chandler, 230.
Paris Observatory, 321, 332.
Parkin, George R., 39.
Patent claim, a curious, 361.
Patterson, J. W., 352.
Peirce, Benjamin professor of mathematics, 75; personality, 77, 78;
chairman of committee on methods of observing transit of Venus,
161; director of solar eclipse expedition, 274; presence in England
valuable to British astronomers, 277.
Peters, C. H. F., heads Transit of Venus expedition, 139; Star
Catalogue Case, 372; work on Ptolemy's Catalogue, 380.
Photoheliograph, horizontal 164.
Phrenology, study of, 14, 34.
Pickering, E. C., 126.
Pistor and Martin's transit circle, 105.
Poe, Gen. O. M., 352.
Powell, John W., 240; during Garfield's illness, 357.
"Principia," Newton's, 54.
Procyon, search for companion of, 138; at Lick Observatory, 140.
Professors in Navy, origin of corps of, 101.
"Psychical Research," 410.
Ptolemy's Star Catalogue, Peter's work on, 380.
Pulkova Observatory, object glass made by Alvan Clark & Sons, 144,
145; foundation and situation, 309-313.