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Abstract

VERY hearty congratulations are extended to Sir Howard Grubb, who celebrates his eighty-sixth birthday on Monday next, having been born on July 28, 1844. Sir Howard was educated privately and at Trinity College, Dublin. In most parts of the world where observatories exist one may be sure that he has had a leading and expert part in the preparation of their equipment of mirrors, objectives, and all the varied apparatus and machinery of the modern astronomical observatory. Particularly is this the case as regards many of the great astronomical observatories of America; here his resourceful ingenuity has long been acclaimed. He has published many memoirs, chiefly through the medium of the Royal Dublin Society—among the earliest, “The Great Melbourne Telescope” (1870) and “On Clocks for Equatorial Telescopes” (1875). In 1896 he read a paper at the Royal Institution on “The Development of the Astronomical Telescope”. In 1881 Sir Howard was the recipient of the Cunningham gold medal of the Royal Irish Academy, in recognition of work in the service of astronomers; in 1912 he received the Boyle medal of the Royal Dublin Society, awarded for scientific labours of outstanding merit carried out by Irishmen or in Ireland. Holding the honorary degree of master of engineering in the University of Dublin, Sir Howard is also an honorary member of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland. He was elected into the fellowship of the Royal Society of London so long ago as 1883.