CHAPTER IV.
ANSWER FROM THE CAMBRIDGE OBSERVATORY.
In the meantime Barbicane did not lose an instant amidst the enthusiasm of which he was the object.

His first care was to call together his colleagues in the board-room of the Gun Club.

There, after a debate, they agreed to consult astronomers about the astronomical part of their enterprise.

Their answer once known, they would then discuss the mechanical means, and nothing would be neglected to assure the success of their great experiment.
A note in precise terms, containing special questions, was drawn up and addressed to the observatory of Cambridge in Massachusetts.

This town, where the first University of the United States was founded, is justly celebrated for its astronomical staff.