U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Office

Washington, 30 July, 1885

I was yesterday directed by Mr. Thorn, the present Supt. of this Survey, to prepare statement of facts within my personal knowledge [-ring?] on the expenditures incurred for the Survey by Assist. Chas S. Peirce & covering the following points:

1. "A number of trips Mr. Peirce has made to Europe; that of 1875 & arrangements for travel's expenses of Assistant,"

2. "Proportional part of the year devoted to active operations with pendulum."

3. "Degree of attention given by Mr. Peirce to the work which in operation, & proportion of work left to subordinates (until 1880 when Mr. Farquhar ceased to assist Mr. Peirce in this function).

4. "Apparatus constructed for or purchased by the party — care taken of it & use made of it."

5. "Present condition and whereabouts of the original data or record of observations & also of results."

6. "By whom the observations have been worked up (on computer) & prepared for publication."

In compliance wherewith I have the honor to submit the following:

1. I have no personal knowledge in regard to the first of these trips, made in connection with the total solar eclipse of year 1870. For Mr. Peirce's observations on the Eclipse, see the Report

"With a view of selecting localities where atmospherical [sic: it should be astronomical] conditions as well as those of the weather [sic] might be expected to be favorable for observing, Mr. Chas. S. Peirce proceeded to Europe in advance under my direction, and after visiting Italy, Spain, & European Turkey, recommended the occupation of stations in Southern Spain and Italy."

On the second trip, in 1875-76 I accompanied Mr. Peirce & we were out of this country sixteen months. My pay was $78 ($3 per diem) before starting and was reduced to $80 after returning; but during the 15 months when on duty in Europe it was fixed at $100 a month. I accepted this

Of what was done on the third, fourth, & fifth trips I have no direct knowledge, nor have I found much explanation of them in the Official Reports. I quote as follows:

"While abroad as Delegate to the International Geodetic [...]

[pages 5, and 6 are omitted]

"In pursuance of instructions dated April 23, 1883, Mr. Peirce left for Europe in May in order to make for the Coast Survey certain observations necessary for computing the connection of the American & English pendulum work and to obtain some additional pendulum apparatus of special construction. He is still abroad upon this duty at the date of closing this report" (Supt. Hilgard's Report for 1883, p. 37).

The Report for 1884 has not yet appeared. I can find no mention of any results from the last three trips in any publication by this Survey (further than [il.] referred to) and I do find, in the last appendix to the last published Report of the Survey (for 1883 pp. 476-483- 489) the admission that Mr. Peirce's adopted standard of length is erroneous, its correction [seems?] still "provisional " (correction

2. Beginning with 1875 and enduring with 1884: Mr. Peirce landed in England April 13 and the only observations with the pendulum were made Sept. 2 to 17 at Geneva. From June 17 to July 4. [il.], comparisons of lengths of standards where made at Berlin. In 1876, the active work (of which results have been published) at Paris was included between January 22 and Feb. 24, at Berlin, between April 19 & May 2, at Kew, Surrey between June 29 & July 11.

In 1877, observations and experiments were continued at intervals from April 8 to June 17. Also from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5 and Nov. 30 to Dec. 23. In 1878 from April 24 to May 11. Mr. Peirce's headquarters during these two years were in New York City. In 1879 observations continued from January 2 to March 3 at Alleghany, & from Aug. 14 to Sept. 25 at Ebensburg, PA. In 880, March 3 to June 9, at York, PA.

These dates are taken from the Reports for 1876 & 1883. After June 1880, my information is obtained exclusively from record-books stored in Room 82 of this Office. From these it appears that a few experimental observations of swings were made in June 1881 at Washington, a series at Baltimore July 31 to Aug. 11 of that year, and

This is a bare answer to the question, not allowing for time spent in necessary preparations, in reducing observations, in experiments the [?] results of which are unpublished, as an outside work of any kind.

3. All of the above stated observations made in 1875 & 1876 were by Mr. Peirce [îl: minuciosamente?], as where those in May & June 1877. During the 3 years following, the very ones made by him were those for "flexure" pp. 375-388 of Report from 1881. One nights work nov. 30, 1877 & two or three in Feb. 1879. The remainden observations by myself, according to instructions previously given by him. [il.]  is made of this in Mr. Peirce's Report of the [il.] in Sept to Dec 1877, and in 1880; but none at all in the intermediate years. Indeed the explicitness with which the report here states who

4. This point is one that is certainly important enough for a fair & full treatment, but it cannot be covered by any evidence at present at my command. From the few facts of which I can imagine a specific statement, no just conclusion can be drawn. If a list of the instruments & books purchased by the Survey for the use of Mr. Peirce up to July 1880 with their prices can be obtained from the Disbursing Office, I can [il.] about I know of the use to which each was applied and in what condition

An inspection of the room last occupied by him at this office Nº 82 (usually locked) will speak more to the purpose that I can with voice and pen.

5. The Archives of this Survey do not, I believe, contain the records of any part of Mr. Peirce's work from the beginning of his pendulum operations in

6. With the exception of the work of 1875-80 the pendulum observations have, as just shown, not been prepared for publication. I was employed for several months last Winter on the work of

I cannot close this necessarily partial statement without expressing the earnest hope that no use may be made of it to obstruct the work of Comparative Gravity determinations, which much rather be extended and need more thorough; calling attention to the account of the

(Signed) Henry Farquhar