It was of the German kind, but modified.

It seemed to me that it could be used for observations far from the meridian.

The iron part was hollow, so that the clock was inside, as was the azimuth circle, and thus space was saved.
"They have a wind and rain self-register, and a self-registering barometer, marking on a cylinder turned by a clock, the paper revolving once an hour.
"When I was at Dungeon Ghyll, a little ravine among the English lakes, down which trickles an exceedingly small stream of water, but which is, nevertheless, very picturesque,--as I followed the old man who shows it for a sixpence, he asked if we had come a long way.

'From America,' I replied.

'We have many Americans here,' said he; 'it is much easier to understand their language than that of other foreigners; they speak very good English, better than the French or Germans.' "I felt myself a little annoyed and a good deal amused.