Abstract:
Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane's legacy to colonial science derives from his initiative in establishing a
privately owned observatory in the southern hemisphere, the Parramatta Observatory, during his term as
Governor of the Colony of New South Wales from 1822 to 1825. In this paper a discussion is given of the
origin and setting up of Brisbane's Parramatta Observatory, including the recruitment and employment of
Carl Riimker and James Dunlop. An account is given of the choice ofthe work undertaken at Parramatta
Observatory when it was privately owned by Brisbane such as the rediscovery of Encke's Comet in 1822,
the publication of a catalogue of 7,385 southern stars in 1835 and measurements of earthly phenomena such
as the weather, the temperature of the interior of the Earth and the figure of the Earth. An investigation is
made of the ensuing struggles as the Parramatta Observatory moved from a private, gentlemanly endeavour
to a more accountable public-sector institution in a distant colony of Britain. The main events concerning
the public Parramatta Observatory are chronicled from 1826 to 1830 during the years when Riimker worked
at the Observatory. A discussion is given of the period 1831 to 1848 at the Parramatta Observatory during
Dunlop's term of public office, concluding with an account of the decay and demolition of the observatory.
