Sydney Observatory Papers No.31
SYDNEY OBSERVATORY : 1858 to 1958 Part 2
By HARLEY WOOD
THE FOUNDING OF SYDNEY OBSERVATORY
The two decades at the middle of the nineteenth century were
important ones in Australian history. By this time there was here a
majority of people, who spent a major portion, often all, of their
lives in Australia, who looked on Australia as home and were anxious
to see their country grow an independence with their own sons given
opportunity for education, leadership and culture. The abolition of
convictism in the years following the order in council by the
Imperial Government in 1840, and the various movements toward
self-government, from the Act for the [pg. 5] Government of N.S.W.
and van Diemen’s Land in 1842 to the
establishment of responsible government by the Act of 1855, were all
results of this urge to establish an Australian community which could
stand on its own feet. In these years, too, founded institutions for
the encouragement of learning and, in particular, science. The Bill
to incorporate and endow the University of Sydney was passed in 1850,
and the University received its first students in 1852. The
Philosophical Society of N.S.W., to become the Royal Society of
N.S.W. in 1866, was established in 1855. In Victoria, in the same
period, were founded the University of Melbourne (1853) and
Williamstown Observatory (1853). In this environment there took place
the discussion which led to the founding of Sydney Observatory.
The need for sufficient astronomical facilities to establish at
least a time service was recognised even while the affairs of
Parramatta Observatory were being wound up. On 1848, April 14, Grey
wrote to Fitzroy, authorising him “to
make over the transit instrument to the Government provided they
(were) willing to make arrangements for the construction and
maintenance of a time ball establishment” and so the new Observatory was to spring
from the ashes of the old.
There was much discussion on the establishment of a time ball and
several sites were suggested for it. The important criterion for the
choice was that the time ball should be visible from ships in the
Harbour and the present site appears to have been first intentioned
in a letter from the Port Master to the Colonial Secretary on 1849,
June 29. The view that the establishment should be something more
than the minimum required for a time service was strongly urged by
King, who wrote on 1850, September 13, enclosing a resolution passed
at the Astronomical Society, “to which
I invite your attention on the hope that the Colonial Government will
at no distant time, propose the establishment of an Observatory at
the cost of the Colony”. His opinion
was given much respected when he was consulted during further
discussion he wrote to the Colonial Secretary on 1851, September 26,
“in attention to your request to be
furnished with a plan of a building for the Time Ball I have the
honour enclose one of an economical character but quite sufficient
for the purpose”. The plan was merely
of a room for a transit instrument and a computing room but he said
”should the re-establishment of the
Observatory, be contemplated the Government at any future time a
small addition at each end of the proposed building would be
necessary, one or both of which should have a revolving dome or roof
for the purpose of mounting a telescope.....or extra meridianal
observations..... I know of no place so suitable for the position of
the building as the ground about Fort Phillip because it is visible
from all parts of the harbour and city.”
King’s letter and plan were sent
(1852, May 22) by Colonial Secretary, E. Deas Thomson, to the
Colonial Architect, Edmund T. Blackett who was the designer of
several of Sydney’s best known
buildings, asking him toprepare estimates of the “expense of erecting a building according to
that plan, with the additional rooms, or dwelling for the
Meteorological Observer who will probably be placed in charge of the
time ball.... bearing in mind the suggestion.... respecting the
ultimate re-establishment of an Observatory..... The site proposedfor
the time ball is Fort Phillip but is not intended that it should
interfere with the present appropriation of that place as a post of
defence”.
Later, 1852, October 28, the Colonial Architect was told that
funds had been voted for the purpose. He estimated that the cost
would be about £150 for a time balland the Colonial Agent
General in London was asked to “
procure under advice of the Astronomer Royal at Greenwich the
machinery for a time ball and to forward same to the Colony”. On September 14 the Colonial Secretary
wrote again to the [pg.6] Colonial Architect “ to furnish..... a plan and estimate for the
Time Ball building be established at Fort Phillip”. Blackett consulted King, writing, to him
on December 14 enclosing “ a rough
sketch for a Time Ball building”. The
observing and computing rooms were based on Kings plan. King replied
promptly on December 17 discussing the plan and suggesting “ the addition of a small room.... with a
revolving dome for an equatorial“. and
again on December 28 enclosing plans of an Observatory with a dome,
transit room, computing space and living quarters This sketch was a
basis of the plan according to which the Observatory was eventually
built although its architectural detail is quite different. On 1854,
February 24, the Colonial Architect was informed that £3,400
would be allotted for a “time ball
tower and observer’s dwelling proposed
to be erected on vacant land near Port Phillip.
Sir William Denison, who succeeded Fitzroy as Governor General in
January, 1853, took a keen interest in the establishment of the new
institution and it was he who saw the decision through the Executive
Council in a form which meant that activities would extend beyond
work connected the time ball. In his carefully prepared
recommendation (1855, March 31) he said, “There are many circumstances which would, in
my opinion make it advisable to re-establish the Observatory.... In
the first place provision has already been made for the erection of a
building to contain the machinery of a time ball and for the purchase
of the machinery but the time ball will, in point of fact, be worse
than useless unless there are means for determining the time
correctly — that is, unless there are proper clocks and proper
instruments for determining the time; and these instruments are in
the hands of an observer responsible to the Government for their
proper application”....
“In the second place, I am anxious
for the establishment of an Observatory in the immediate vicinity of
Sydney, as affording to all persons, and especially those educated at
the University, a practical example of the application of science to
the determination of matters altogether beyond the scope of our
ordinary uneducated reason. The student sees in the results decided
from observation the application of those truths or principles which
have been put before him at school in an abstract form”....
“In the third place, I am desirous
to establish an Observatory for the purpose of connecting it with the
trigonometrical survey of the country and thus, by means of the
Perfect and absolute determination of the position on the earth’s surface of one point, to be enabled to lay
down with perfect accuracy, the whole of the remainder of the
country, not merely with relation to that spot, but with relation to
the remainder of the earth’s
surface”.
“In the fourth place., I am anxious
for the establishment of an Observatory as a means of connecting,
this colony with the scientific societies of Europe and America”....
The recommendation was approved on the 4th April and Denison
himself drew up outline specifications for the Observatory which were
sent to the Colonial Architect for estimates to be prepared. The
Architect was also asked to have the books belonging to the
Observatory moved from Ordinance Stores to Government House, to
obtain estimates of the cost of a dozen sets of meteorological
instruments and of repairing “the
instruments already the possession of the Government” and was recommended to approach for advice
“Captain King R.N., who has on many
occasions been kind enough to afford the Government useful
information on such matters” The
Architect, William Weaver, found King had already had the instruments
examined and repaired and he was able to submit plans for the
building [pg. Four Pages of Images] [pg.8] on August 17. These plans
were approved to be referred later to the new Colonial Architect,
Alexander Dawson. The machinery for the time ball arrived in Sydney
and the whole matter of the building was left in abeyance pending the
arrival of the astronomer. A provision of £.7,000, to be raised
by loan, was made for the work.
Last Update : 14th November 2012
Southern Astronomical Delights ©
(2012)
For any problems with this Website or Document please e-mail
me.
|