Royal Astronomical Society^ t5| 



tions of stars which appear to exceed a quarter of a second of space 

 have been tabulated. Of the merits of this Catalogue it would be 

 impossible to give any opinion at present ; but your Council need 

 not say that, from what is known of the zeal and industry of Mr. 

 Taylor, they are well prepared to believe that it will soon be charac- 

 terised as a valuable addition to sidereal astronomy, and an indis- 

 pensable aid to the southern astronomer. 



The progress of Sir John Herschel's reductions of his southern 

 observations must interest the Fellows of this Society. From the 

 state in which they now are, it is not very improbable that the Ca- 

 talogue may appear in a year from this time. The constant atten- 

 tion M'hich the completion of this great undertaking requires, has 

 prevented Sir John Herschel from taking that share in the business 

 of the Society, from which, previously to his departure for the Cape 

 of Good Hope, its affairs derived so much benefit. The Council hope 

 that the impediment will speedily cease to exist, not more for the 

 sake of the Society than of its distinguished ex-president ; for it 

 must be admitted that, in travelling through the numerical reduction 

 of observations, the astronomer finds very few of the flowers with 

 which the love of science may strew the more intellectual part of the 

 road. 



By the death of Mr. Baily, the superintendence of the standard 

 measure of length, and of the astronomical catalogues in progress at 

 the expense of the government and of the British Association, pass 

 into other hands. The standard scale has been undertaken by Mr. 

 Sheepshanks, who has obtained from the Council the use of a vaulted 

 room in the basement story in which to make the comparisons. 



The Nautical Almanac for 1848, the fifteenth of the new series, 

 appeared in the month of December last. For several years past, 

 the advance which it was judged necessary to provide, namely, four 

 complete years, has been gained ; and it must not be forgotten that, 

 when Lieut. Stratford was placed in charge of this national work, 

 there was hardly a year in advance. On looking at the steady and 

 effective manner in which this arduous undertaking has been exe- 

 cuted, your Council feel that their praise is needless. With regard, 

 however, to the obligations under which Mr. Stratford has laid as- 

 tronomers, in matters unconnected with the immediate routine of the 

 ephemeris, they can hardly be fully appreciated, and certainly not 

 duly acknowledged, till after the next appearance of Halley's comet. 

 There is also a stability given to the ordinary mode of conducting 

 the Nautical Almanac, by the formation of a regular board of com- 

 puters ; a thing which did not exist when the present Superintend- 

 ent came into office, and without which it would have been difficult 

 to have fully carried out the recommendations of the Nautical Al- 

 manac Committee. 



Since the last anniversary of the Society three comets have been 

 discovered. The first was found by M. Mauvais at the Royal Ob- 

 servatory of Paris on July 7 ; and, two nights afterwards, it was de- 

 tected at Berlin. The elements differ materially from those of any 

 comet whose orbit has been previously calculated. 



