179
Monetary Union, signed in 1865, the values of French, Belgian, and Swiss franc
and the Italian lira were equivalent). This price did not include electric cells and
cables, nor the mercury for the barometer. While still expensive, this version
was cheaper than the original.
(b) A meteorograph similar to the previous one, but made in a more economical
way (8000 lire).
(c) A simpler meteorograph without the psychrometer (5000 lire).
(d) Similar to (c) but made in a more economical way (3000 lire).
After the exhibition, the meteorograph remained in Paris for a certain time, but
no buyer was found for it and it finally returned to Rome, where it was installed at
the Collegio Romano. There, it replaced the first original apparatus. In Italy, a second meteorograph was installed in 1869 at Palermo Astronomical Observatory,
where it was probably scrapped in the 1950s (Brenni 1992a, b).
10.3 Secchi’s Meteorographs Installed Outside of Italy
As far as we know, seven other apparatus of this kind were sold and used outside
Italy. Five of them were installed in Jesuit observatories. Starting in the middle of
the nineteenth century, Jesuits had founded an important number of observatories
throughout the world, dedicated to astronomical and geophysical research; and
many of them had meteorological stations, which often laid the foundation for
future national weather services (Vregille 1906; Udias 1966, 2003).
10.3.1 Madrid (1860)
The origin of the Royal Observatory of Madrid goes back to the late eighteenth
century. The construction of an elegant neoclassic building began in 1790 in the area
of Buen Retiro. Because of several political and logistical reasons, it was completed
only in 1848. Finally, in the 1860s and 1870s, the observatory was equipped with
several important astronomical and meteorological instruments (Giménez de la
Cuadra 1992; Guijarro Bueno 1998). Among them was the first of Secchi’s meteorographs sold abroad. Secchi was working on it in 1859 (Memorie dell’Osservatorio
del Collegio Romano 1859: 148), and the meteorograph was able to be installed in
the observatory in 1860, where it was placed in the small round temple at the top of
the main observatory building. Obviously, the apparatus was not yet the definitive
version, and it was quite different from the one presented in Paris seven years later.
In particular, it did not yet include the complicated recording psychrometer, while
some other elements still needed to be modified and perfected. Perhaps for this
reason, this meteorograph was troublesome from the beginning. Because of defective construction, the electric anemometer and the wind vane never worked properly
10 Secchi’s Meteorographs Outside of Italy
Monetary Union, signed in 1865, the values of French, Belgian, and Swiss franc
and the Italian lira were equivalent). This price did not include electric cells and
cables, nor the mercury for the barometer. While still expensive, this version
was cheaper than the original.
(b) A meteorograph similar to the previous one, but made in a more economical
way (8000 lire).
(c) A simpler meteorograph without the psychrometer (5000 lire).
(d) Similar to (c) but made in a more economical way (3000 lire).
After the exhibition, the meteorograph remained in Paris for a certain time, but
no buyer was found for it and it finally returned to Rome, where it was installed at
the Collegio Romano. There, it replaced the first original apparatus. In Italy, a second meteorograph was installed in 1869 at Palermo Astronomical Observatory,
where it was probably scrapped in the 1950s (Brenni 1992a, b).
10.3 Secchi’s Meteorographs Installed Outside of Italy
As far as we know, seven other apparatus of this kind were sold and used outside
Italy. Five of them were installed in Jesuit observatories. Starting in the middle of
the nineteenth century, Jesuits had founded an important number of observatories
throughout the world, dedicated to astronomical and geophysical research; and
many of them had meteorological stations, which often laid the foundation for
future national weather services (Vregille 1906; Udias 1966, 2003).
10.3.1 Madrid (1860)
The origin of the Royal Observatory of Madrid goes back to the late eighteenth
century. The construction of an elegant neoclassic building began in 1790 in the area
of Buen Retiro. Because of several political and logistical reasons, it was completed
only in 1848. Finally, in the 1860s and 1870s, the observatory was equipped with
several important astronomical and meteorological instruments (Giménez de la
Cuadra 1992; Guijarro Bueno 1998). Among them was the first of Secchi’s meteorographs sold abroad. Secchi was working on it in 1859 (Memorie dell’Osservatorio
del Collegio Romano 1859: 148), and the meteorograph was able to be installed in
the observatory in 1860, where it was placed in the small round temple at the top of
the main observatory building. Obviously, the apparatus was not yet the definitive
version, and it was quite different from the one presented in Paris seven years later.
In particular, it did not yet include the complicated recording psychrometer, while
some other elements still needed to be modified and perfected. Perhaps for this
reason, this meteorograph was troublesome from the beginning. Because of defective construction, the electric anemometer and the wind vane never worked properly
10 Secchi’s Meteorographs Outside of Italy