weight, with its mountings, is more than six tons, and it rests on a pier deeply sunk in the earth, in order to avoid all possible vibrations. The object-glass is the work of the famous Clarks, of Boston, and the instrument complete cost $47,000. It was by means of this telescope that Professor Hall, in 1877, discovered the two moons of Mars.

Under a smaller dome is the nine and one-half inch equatorial, used for minor observations. Through the centre of this dome passes the meridian of Washington.

Precisely at noon each day the time-ball is dropped from the flagstaff, giving the time to the city and the shipping on the river. The ball itself is a frame-work of oak ribs of two and a half feet in diameter. It is hoisted by halyards to the top of the flag-staff, the metal eye at the end of the rope passing over a steel spring, which is governed by a magnet. At the instant of noon the pressure on the key by the naval officer in the chronometer-room below breaks the electric circuit, the magnet above releases the metallic eye by the flying back of the spring, and the ball drops.

In the chronometer-room the work of regulating the chronometers of the Navy is done. As many as two hundred of these instruments have been here at one time. From this room standard time is furnished daily at noon to the Western Union Telegraph office in Washington for dispatch throughout the United States. The naval officer, standing by the standard mean clock, and having the astronomical correction of that clock also before him, at three minutes before 12 M. calls the telegraph operator at his office, and, at the instant of true noon, taps the electric key, giving the time to the company's office. He also drops the dome ball.

THE SIGNAL OFFICE,

Better known as the Weather Bureau, is in a brick building on G Street, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth, N. W. The numerous queer appliances on the roof show at once that work of some peculiar nature is done inside.

The Bureau is in charge of a Chief Signal Officer, and is a division of the Department of Agriculture. Previous to 1891 it was in charge of the Department of War. Besides the chief officer,

there are, a chief clerk, a force of scientific experts, draughtsmen, and others, together with many clerks, copyists, messengers, etc. Throughout the United States there are about four hundred stations, each provided with the best instruments for the "Weather Service"-for observing and accurately recording the constant variations of the weather. From these stations telegraphic reports are sent daily to Washington.

The Signal Office receives reports from the trained observers three times in every twenty-four hours-at 7 A. M., 3 P. M., and at midnight. These reports contain full particulars of the weather in the different districts. Stations in Canada, in Newfoundland, and in other parts of British America, send reports; and, in the seasons of tropical storms, reports by telegraph are daily received from stations in the West Indies. Over three hundred voluntary observers also send reports by mail. The lines of the regular telegraph companies are used, and, besides, various military and sea-coast telegraph lines owned by the Government. The first synchronous weather reports were made on the first of November, 1870, and since then the service has reached a high state of perfection. The display of cautionary signals at American ports was begun in October, 1871.

The weather reports are telegraphed from the signal stations to Washington by means of a secret code, a few figures conveying a large amount of information. A "translator" takes the telegrams in hand and carefully reads them off to eight clerks, each of whom has a special weather map before him, on which he marks the particular readings he has been instructed to take. Afterward these eight maps are combined in one general map, which will fully represent all the phases of the weather in the United States and Canada at the hour the reports were sent. This map is closely studied by the assistant signal officer detailed for the purpose-the assistants alternating in the work, each one serving thirty days at a time-the "storm-centre" is located, the probable course of storms determined, and finally the "weather indications" are made up for the East and West, the North and South, and given to the agent of the Associated Press for transmission to the newspapers of the country.

The completed weather map, which is the finest of the kind issued in the world, is lithographed by the Signal Office, and copies of it are distributed every morning in the sections easily reached from

Washington. In order that the map may have a more extended circulation, certain parties in prominent cities East, West, and South are also charged with its publication by authority of the Agricultural Department, and the "plan of make-up" is telegraphed to them by an efficient system, which enables them to issue an exact copy of the map printed in Washington. Thus it is possible to obtain a weather map hundreds of miles from the Signal Office by noon of the day of its date.

THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING-OFFICE

Occupies the large four-story brick building at the corner of North Capitol and H Streets. It is three hundred by one hundred and seventy-five feet, enclosing a court-yard.

The office is the largest establishment of its kind in the world. The number of employés is nearly three thousand, and the annual expenditure about $3,000,000. It is in charge of an official known as the "Public Printer," who receives a salary of $4500.

All the work required in making a book, from the time the paper is received until the finished volume is issued, is done in this office. The principal employment is in printing the Government documents, such as the bills introduced into Congress and the many reports of the departments and institutions. Some of the special publications have been magnificent specimens of typographical art—issued at a cost of many thousands of dollars. A particularly fine work was "The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion." It was printed on very costly paper, and contained a great number of superb illustrations. Requests to be supplied with it came from all the principal libraries of the world.

CHAPTER VI.

MINOR OBJECTS OF INTEREST-FORD'S THEATRE-THE NAVY YARD THE CONGRESSIONAL CEMETERY-BENEVOLENT AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS— THE LOUISE HOME-W. W. CORCORAN-THE COLUMBIA INSTITUTION FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB-THE GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANEHISTORIC HOUSES.

HERE are a large number of objects in Washington that will repay the visitor for the time taken in their examination. Some of these are unique, and all have some particular feature distinguishing them from similar institutions elsewhere. These are scattered all over the city, and the visitor who endeavors to see them all will probably agree with Charles Dickens, that Washington is a city of magnificent distances.

The District Court-House is located in the southern portion of Judiciary Square, and is a building in the Grecian style of architecture. It was designed by George Hadfield, and was begun in 1820. It has never been finished as originally planned, only the southern portion having been completed. The material is brick covered with stucco. It is two stories in height, and has a frontage of two hundred and fifty feet. It was originally intended for the City Hall, and was occupied by the municipal officers until 1871. In 1873 the Government purchased it, and it is now used entirely for court purposes. Many famous trials have been held here, the most notable of recent years having been that of Guiteau, the assassin of President Garfield.

On Tenth, between E and F Streets, N. W., is a plain, unpretentious building that would hardly attract a moment's notice from the passer-by. It was, however, the scene of one of the greatest tragedies in the world's history. It was originally used as a church, but subsequently became known as Ford's Theatre. In this building, on the night of April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was

assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. The theatre was at once closed by order of the Government, and, in 1866, was purchased by Congress for $100,000. It was used for storing the collections of the Army Medical Museum before the construction of the new build

ing in The Mall. The entire interior was remodelled and made thoroughly fire-proof, and no trace of its former use now remains. It is at present used for office work by the Record and Pension Division of the War Department.

On the house opposite, No. 516, is a marble tablet. It was to this house that the wounded President was removed, and here he died, April 15, 1865.

After the burning of the public buildings by the British in 1814, Congress held its first session in Blodgett's "Great Hotel," where the Post-Office building now stands, and subsequently in a large brick building, erected by the citizens of Washington, on land adjacent to the eastern grounds of the Capitol, at the corner of Mary