Tuesday March 20, 1894

Discussed plans for warming Physical Obs^y. with M^r Crisp & decided on Grundy’s as the best. M^r Le Brun sent up his keys (two sets) to M^r Criswick.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... There is lots of information about John Grundy, his family and his heating and ventilation business online here. They obviously decided against the Blackman Ventilating Company discussed previously, although the heads of both companies seem to have been leaders in their fields.

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".

Friday March 16, 1894

A Post Office Official (M^r Shaw) called & discussed arrangements for a Wall letter-box to be fixed at the Observatory with collections at 12. 3 & 5, and also for 9 & 11pm. if Park keys could be supplied for use of postmen, It was arranged that the Postmaster of SE. District (D.H. Somerville Esq.) would communicate with me on the subject.
Arranged for Dallmeyer Photoheliograph & Hut to be mounted at once on Terrace roof of S. Wing of Physical Observatory.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... In this image, from about 1900, you can just make out the letter-box in the wall to the left hand side. In front of it, under the small protective shade, are the standard lengths available for the public to check their rulers and to the right of the gate is the 24-hour Shepherd Clock dial, displaying GMT to passers-by. The roof of Flamsteed House, Christie's residence, is bristling with meteorological equipment as well as the time ball, which is raised at 12.58 and drops at 1pm every day.

There is a gap in both journals for the next couple of days - and I am on leave from work - so I will meet you again on the 19th!

Wednesday March 14, 1894

Centred crown lens of 28ⁱⁿ O.G. in photographic position, the holes having been drawn to allow of this. The inner flange of crown cell is now very exactly concentric with outer flange of flint cell to which it is bolted. Wrote to Sir H. Grubb on subject of 26in photo-equatorial.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... In order to correct colour distortions, telescope lenses are composites of two different kinds of glass - crown glass and flint glass. Because the corrections for photographic use or visual use are different, and the 28-inch telescope was intended to work both ways, the two glass cells had to be painstakingly adjusted - as Christie's experiments over the last few months demonstrate.

The image accompanying this post was taken with the 28-inch telescope in Greenwich - with the assistance of modern equipment. It shows a clearer and more colourful image than Christie would have managed to produce.

Tuesday March 13, 1894

As Post Office official* called to enquire whether postman could have key of Park for evening deliveries of letters. Referred him to Office of Works. Wrote to Sir H. Grubb

*Mr J.J. Foster

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... Those were the days! Several deliveries of mail each day, and the postman making a special effort to ensure that they could be maintained. Meatime, Christie made use of the Post Office's services by communicating with Sir Howard Grubb in Dublin about the 26-inch telescope to be made for the Royal Observatory and paid for by Sir Henry Thompson.

Monday March 12, 1894

Went to Troughton & Simms in the afternoon & inspected Universal Transit Circle in progress.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... The Universal Transit Circle, being manufactured by the instrument makers Troughton & Simms, was Christie's new altazimuth instrument, which he described in an article here. It was to be housed in the Altazimuth Pavilion, designed by William Crisp and still being built at this time. A short history of Troughton & Simms can be see here. They had offices in Fleet Street in central London but, in order to see work in progress, Christie would have gone to their factory on Woolwich Road, Charlton, which borders Greenwich.

Saturday March 10, 1894

Went to Oxford for visitation of Univ^y Obs^y dining with Prof. Turner at New College. Returned to Greenwich at night.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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RH says..... As with the recent meeting about the Radcliffe Observatory, Christie was acting as an inspector of an observatory run by a former colleague who was to inspect his institution in turn: as Savilian Professor of Astronomy, Turner was an ex officio member of the Board of Visitors to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The Oxford University Observatory, as distinct from the older Radcliffe Observatory, had been built in 1874 in the University Parks, some 70 acres of parkland on the west bank of the River Cherwell. Turner was to find his ambitions for this observatory frustrated: the University neglected it while allowing the Radcliffe to be expensively re-equipped.

Friday March 9, 1894

R.A.S. Meeting. Shewed photo’s taken with 28ⁱⁿ telescope corrected for photography. Also photo’s of Sunspot of February -------- and magnetic disturbances.
Went to M^r W.H. Whites R. Institution lecture on the making of a modern fleet.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

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R.A.S. The Astronomer Royal shewed trial photos taken with 28ⁱⁿ.

Frank Dyson, Chief Assistant

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RH says..... An account of this day's Royal Astronomical Society meeting from The Observatory magazine can be downloaded here. Christie presented the photographs with caution, saying that although they hoped that they had nearly got the adjustment corrected they were still in the experimental stage. As Sir Howard Grubb was in town, having been at Greenwich the day before to discuss the proposed 26-inch telescope, he was present and asked to comment on the lens. Sounding rather defensive, he pointed out that "As this was the only large object-glass I ever had to make without having to make the mounting for it, I was placed under very peculiar circumstances, not being able to try it on a celestial object until it was at Greenwich" but, all things considered, he was pleased with the results. The data about sunspots and magnetic readings was presented by E. Walter Maunder, head of the ROG's Photographic and Spectroscopic Department and one of the RAS's secretaries.

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W.H. White's Royal Institution lecture was reported in The Times the next day. 'The Making of a Modern Fleet' focused on the programme of shipbuilding begun after the passing of the 1889 Naval Defence Act. White reported that all but eight or nine of the 70 ships paid for would be ready for service by the end of the month, the date specified in the Act. It was (according to White and The Times) "an unprecedented feat which no other country in the world could rival".