Draft letter, from Sir John Herschel to George Gipps, dated at Feldhausen Autographed draft letter, signed or initialed by sender. Intricate enquiries at Paramatta observatory are a waste of time. Instruments are not first class. Energy would be better spent cataloguing smaller magnitude stars and measuring double stars. Urges triangulation survey, important for Asian and Pacific geography, and investigation of weights and measures, to avoid litigation as Australia develops. 26 December 1837