Obituary .—Sir J. E. Smith, 391 



conviction tha£ the doing so would have been a dereliction of public 

 duty, it was 



Resolved unanimously, "That a Gold Medal of this Society be given 

 to Miss Caroline Herschel, for her recent reduction, to January 1800, 

 of the Nebulae discovered by her illustrious brother, which may be 

 considered as the completion of a series of exertions probably unpa- 

 ralleled either in magnitude or importance, in the annals of astrono- 

 mical labour." A vote which I am Sure every one whom I have the 

 honour to address, will most heartily confirm. 



Mr. Herschel. — In the name of the Astronomical Society of Lon- 

 don, I present this Medal to your illustrious Aunt. In transmitting it 

 to her, assure her that since the foundation of this Society no one 

 has been adjudged, which has been earned by services such as hers. 

 Convey to her our unfeigned regret that she is not resident amongst 

 us ; and join to it our wishes, nay, our prayers, that as her former 

 days have been glorious, so her future may be happy. 



PROCEEDINGS AT THE FRIDAY-EVENING MEETINGS OF THE 

 ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



March 21. — Mr. Millington entered into an experimental account 

 of the manufacture of paper, principally with a view of introducing 

 and explaining by working models the making of paper by machinery, 

 and especially some recent and important improvements. Numerous 

 specimens of paper, varying both in quality and size, were exhibited. 



Some experiments on the deceptive appearances of coloured sha- 

 dows were shown in the Library by Mr. Marshall ; and a large meteoric 

 stone having a very peculiar polished metallic fracture was laid with 

 other things upon the table. 



March 28. — Dr. Harwood gave an account of some parts of the 

 structure and (economy of the Greenland whale, during which he en- 

 tered into the illustration of certain views relative to the blubber and 

 the skin which he had been induced to entertain, from a close exami- 

 nation of these and other parts of the animal. The specimens ob- 

 tained for illustration from the museums of the Zoological Society, 

 by Mr. Brookes and Dr. Harwood, were very fine and numerous. 



The library-tables were covered with objects of interest from the 

 East, from the museum of Lady Raffles and the collection of Mr. 

 Bennett. 



April 18. — Mr. Ainger delivered an illustrated explanation of some 

 recent improvements in clock and watch escapements, especially of 

 the one invented by Mr. Hardy. The principles of the four great 

 divisions of escapements were exhibited and distinguished. 



OBITUARY : — SIR J. E. SMITH. 



On Monday the 17th of March, died at his residence in Norwich, 

 Sir James Edward Smith, President of the Linnaean Society. This 

 distinguished botanist was born at Norwich, December 2nd, 1759 ; 

 and to the locality of his birth we are probably to attribute his early 

 predilection for Natural History, for here he fell in with some of the 



earliest 



