Royal Society. 53 



extensive, and requiring more time than can now be allotted 

 to any one branch of mathematical science. As a monumerit 

 to the author's fame, it promises to remain for ages. 



The Rev. John Hellins was one of those extraordinary men, 

 who, deprived of early advantages, have elevated themselves 

 by the force of genius and of industry to a level above most 

 persons blessed with regular education. Mr. Hellins at one 

 time computed for the Nautical Almanac. He afterwards 

 assisted at Greenwich. And what is now perhaps almost un- 

 known, he furnished the late Mr. Windham with all the calcu- 

 lations and tables on which that gentleman brought forward 

 his new military system, as minister of war, in 1806. Mr. 

 Hellins applied himself with great industry to some of the 

 most useful branches of pure mathematics. No less than nine 

 communications appear in our Transactions, " On the sum- 

 mation of series." — " On the conversion of slowly-converging 

 series into others of swifter convergency." — " On their appli- 

 cation to computing of logarithms, and to the rectifying of 

 circular arcs." — " On the roots of equations." And in 1798, 

 " On a method of computing with increased facility the plane- 

 tary perturbations:" for the last he was honoured with your 

 Copley medal. Retired to a small living in Northampton- 

 shire, Mr. Hellins became a pattern of philosophic calmness 

 and content 



Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife, 

 His sober wishes never learn'd to stray. 



He seems to have said 



Curtatis decimis, modicoque beatus agello, 

 Vitam secrete in rure quietus agam. 



I have known Mr. Hellins above forty years, and I can testify 

 to his virtues. It once happened that, through the late Dr. 

 Maskelyne, I had nearly obtained for him the Observatory at 

 Dublin. The failure cannot however be lamented, since 

 Brinkley was appointed in his stead. 



Although death has deprived us of several eminent persons 

 at home ; yet undoubtedly the greatest loss to science must be 

 sought for this year in our foreign list. We find there the 

 names of Bode, of Volta, and of La Place. 



Professor Bode is known to every one by his magnificent 

 Caelestial Atlas in twenty large plates, containing 17,000 stars 

 laid down and catalogued with a degree of accuracy unknown 

 to former times ; and with an elegance and beauty that may 

 never be excelled. This book appeared about thirty years 

 ago ; and the author is said to have employed himself up to 

 very recent times in the cultivation of his favourite science, 



and 



