Monday October 15, 1894

Dined with Clockmakers’ C^o in evening returning thanks for the Livery. Met M^r Buckney & had conversation with him about timeball at Sheerness, chronometers &c.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Friday July 27, 1894

Dinner of British Institute of Public Health at Lincoln’s Inn. Proposed toast of “Sanitary & other Statutory Authorities”.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

*

H says..... The BIPH was soon to receive its charter, becoming the Royal Institute of Public Health in 1897.

Friday July 20, 1894

Meeting of Boreman Governors at Greenwich at 1. Dinner & reception at Imperial Institute to commemorate 25^th anniversary of telegraphic communication to the far East.The astrographic micrometer taken away by M^r Simms for adaptation of a new millimetre scale, position circle & clamp to plate carrier, and focussing adjustment to microm. microscope.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

*

*

*

RH says..... Christie's meeting was of the charitable Boreman Foundation, named after Sir William Boreman who, in the 17th century, bequeathed a school in Greenwich and various to the Drapers' Company. The William Boreman Nautical School was absorbed into the Greenwich Hospital School in 1886 but the charity continued (and still continues) to provide scholarships and other financial assistance.

*

The Imperial Institute, later the Commonwealth Institute, was founded in 1887 to carry out scientific research that supported agricultural, industrial and commercial development of the colonies and dominions. In 1894 the Institute had just moved into its new buildings in South Kensington. All that survives is Queen's Tower, now part of Imperial College.

Tuesday July 3, 1894

Ladies’ dinner of Drapers’ Company. Royal Academy soirée.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Capt. Close R.N. discussed plans for a timeball at Chatham. Anniversary dinner of R.S. Club.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... The Royal Observatory's time ball was installed in 1833 in order to give a visual time signal to ships on the Thames. This allowed them to check the chronometers they used - along with the astronomical lunar distance method - to find their longitude at see. The mechanism still works: the ball rising half-way up the pole at 12.55, to the top at 12.58 and dropping at 1pm. With the arrival of telegraphic time signals from Greenwich in the mid 19th century, other time balls were set up at various ports, including Deal, Southampton, Chatham and Falmouth. The archives in Cambridge show that these prompted much correspondence for Christie.

Wednesday June 20, 1894

Arranged with Desforges (from Troughton & Simms) for mounting of new glass millimetre scale in Astrographic micrometer.

Dined with Dyers’ Company at the “Ship” returning thanks for the Visitors.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Wednesday June 13, 1894

Meeting of Solar Physics Com^ee at 2.30pm. Trinity House Dinner, Duke of York in the chair.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... The Duke of York, pictured to the left, was the future king of England, George V.

Friday June 8, 1894

R.A.S. Council meeting. Presided at R.S. Club dinner, Sir H. Thompson & Sir H. Trueman Wood guests.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

Thursday May 10, 1894

M^r Hughes from Director of Stores Depart^t made out his list of Office furniture required for new building South Wing. M^r Simms Jun^r commenced mounting Simms & Cooke Equatorials & Water Telescope in South Wing Basement. Mr McGilicuddy[?] from Doching[?] & Son called about a mistake in no of copies of Astr. Results 1891, the 180 separate copies not having been struck off. I complained to him of the slow rate of printing. Settled [illegible] details of mounting of Spectroscope on 28 inch telescope. Went to meeting of R.S. (Papers on Eclipse of 1893 April 16) & to dinner of R.S. Club.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

*

*

*

*

RH says..... E.Walter Maunder had this to say about the Water Telescope:

"An ingenious telescope was set up by Sir George Airy in order to ascertain if the speed of light were different when passing through water than when passing through air. Or, in other words, if the aberration of light would give the same value as at present if we observed through water. The water telescope, as it was called, is kept on the ground floor of the central octagon of the new observatory. The observations obtained with it were hardly quite satisfactory, but gave on the whole a negative result."

The Royal Society Club was a dining club, for the inner circles of the Royal Society. See Archibald Geikie's 1917 Annals of the Royal Society Club; the record of a London dining-club in the eighteenth & nineteenth centuries for background.

Friday May 4, 1894

Discussed with Prof. Turner arrangements for Eclipse expedition to Japan in 1896 Aug.Went to R.A. private view in afternoon.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

*

*

RH says..... For one perspective on the 1896 eclipse expedition see this link. The paintings at the 1894 Royal Academy exhibition were a rather different kettle of fish - as this engraving of Sir Frederick Leighton's 'The Spirit of the Summit' from the Illustrated London News shows. More engravings from the 1894 exhibition can currently be seen here. Probably not my favourite style of art....

Wednesday May 2, 1894

M^r Plummer left, having completed his obs^ns for personal equation with the portable Transit in the Transit Pavilion.
Meting of Solar Eclipse Com^ee at the R.A.S. at 3 & 4. Royal Society Soiree.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... This event at the Royal Society - one of their regular soirees or conversazione - was reported in the journal Nature on 10 May 1894 (which, unfortunately, you can only see if you or your institution subscribes - which mine does not). This fantastic image illustrating a Royal Society 'gentleman's conversazione' is from the Daily Graphic in 1890. See more here.

Friday April 27, 1894

Point House Club dinner to Prof. Turner. Found in the morning that bearing pieces of crown cell of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. in reversed posⁿ had slipped. Turned it to visual posⁿ & brought it down on the fixed bearing pieces in that posⁿ placing two thicknesses of cartridge paper between slotted bearing pieces & the glass. This slipping of the lens would account for anomalies in the photos.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

*

*

RH says..... Further fiddling with the various pieces of the 28-inch reversible lens - and a wonderful improvised solution!

Friday April 20, 1894

Savile Com^ee meeting at 5.45

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

M^r Plummer here to determine longitude of Bidston

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

*
*

RH says..... Christie continues with the social side of the Astronomer Royal's post, at the Savile Club, while Dyson was back working with William Plummer of Liverpool Observatory, as he had at the beginning of the year. Christie's report to the Board of Visitors in June 1894 recorded that when Plummer had been at the ROG from the 1st to the 9th of January, “cloudy weather prevented observations" but that when he "again visited Greenwich from April 20 to May 2" he "secured observations on six nights with the small transit in the Transit Pavilion for comparison with the transit-circle observer".

Thursday April 19, 1894

Dined at Fishmongers Company to meet Archbishop of Canterbury. Returned thanks for learned Societies.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... The Fishmonger's Company is one of the oldest of London's City Guilds, with its Hall near London Bridge. Christie was evidently there in formal capacity - a representative of science and learning - but also for social reasons. The Archbishop of Canterbury at this date was Edward White Benson, who was known as a public school headmaster before his church career took off.

Thursday April 5, 1894

Went to Adm^y but after waiting some time could not see M^r Awdry. Savile Club election.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

*
*

RH says..... Two rather contradictory indications of the Astronomer Royal's status: the Assistant Secretary to the Admiralty was too busy to see him, but he was being invited again into the heart of fashionable Mayfair. His need to speak to Awdry was undoubtedly related to his plans for staff reorganisation or building works.

Monday March 19, 1894

Saw Major Pilkington & M^r Crisp at Adm^y about new buildings, also Capt. Wharton. M^r Le Brun handed in a letter to Adm^y stating that he was unable to perform his duties on account of ill health. Athenaeum Election. M^r Le Brun did not come to the Observatory after this day.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... Again we see what a 'clubable' person that Astronomer Royal was expected to be: here Christie records his election to the Athenaeum Club in London's Pall Mall. A.J. Meadows in the ODNB entry on Christie writes that, "Though rather reserved by nature", he "was an affable man who enjoyed company".

Tuesday January 2, 1894

Went to M^r Turner’s dinner to M^r & M^rs Ellis

William Chrisite, Astronomer Royal

*

*

*

Rebekah Higgitt says.....

The Astronomer Royal attended a dinner hosted by his Chief Assistant, Herbert Turner, for the recently-retired William Ellis. Ellis (1828–1916), had first come to the Observatory as a computer aged 13 and, with the exception of a period in 1852-53 stayed there his entire working life. Turner was also about to leave Greenwich.