He was
startled at the assertion of the fixed stars' places being false in
the catalogue, and said, with some vehemence, he must have them anew
observed, examined, and corrected, for the use of his seamen."
The first question to be settled was the site for the new
observatory. Hyde Park and Chelsea College were both mentioned as
suitable localities, but, at Sir Christopher Wren's suggestion,
Greenwich Hill was finally resolved upon. The king made a grant of
five hundred pounds of money. He gave bricks from Tilbury Fort,
while materials, in the shape of wood, iron, and lead, were available
from a gatehouse demolished in the Tower. The king also promised
whatever further material aid might be shown to be necessary. The
first stone of the Royal Observatory was laid on August 10th, 1675,
and within a few years a building was erected in which the art of
modern practical astronomy was to be created. Flamsteed strove with
extraordinary diligence, and in spite of many difficulties, to obtain
a due provision of astronomical instruments, and to arrange for the
carrying on of his observations. Notwithstanding the king's
promises, the astronomer was, however, but scantily provided with
means, and he had no assistants to help him in his work.
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