220 Royal Asirofiomical Society. 



Baron Leopold von Buch, " On a new family of Crinoidal Animals, 

 called Cystidece." 



The stony cases of these animals differ from Encrinites chiefly in 

 the absence of arms and the presence of ovarial apertures in the 

 plates. They are found abundantly in the lower beds of the Silurian 

 series, chiefly in Scandinavia. 



A paper was read, " On the Relation of the New Red Sandstone 

 to the Carboniferous Strata in Lancashire and Cheshire." By E. 

 W. Binney, Esq. 



The author endeavoured to show that the Lancashire coal-field, al- 

 though of great thickness, does not exhibit a passage upwards into 

 the new red sandstone, but that it is a more perfect series than that 

 in the west of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. He also supposes that the 

 coal-measures are generally thrown down by the various faults, the 

 dislocation being of some extent; that these measures continue un- 

 altered beneath the upper beds ; and finally, that the lower portions 

 of the new red sandstone are but imperfectly exhibited in the coal- 

 field in question. 



ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 

 [Continued from p. lo3,] 



Address of the President (G. B. Airy, Esq., Astronomer Royal) on 

 the award of the Medal to Captain Smyth. 



Before I proceed to my immediate object, you will allow me, gen- 

 tlemen, to express my regret that the duty of addressing you should 

 have fallen upon me. The place which I reluctantly occupy ought, 

 in the ordinary course, to have been filled this day by one to whom 

 this Society mainly owes its existence and prosperity, and with whose 

 scientific life every portion of our history is indissolubly interwoven. 

 I will not, however, enlarge further on this irretrievable loss, but 

 will briefly remind you that every member of the Society, who has 

 been proud of his connexion with it while its interests were success- 

 fully supported by Mr. Baily, is bound in honour and conscience to 

 give his best efforts for its continued prosperity, by the means which 

 have hitherto proved so successful : individual and independent 

 efforts tempered by a love of unanimity, and zealous industry guided 

 by prudent forethought. 



It is the duty of your president, gentlemen, to announce the de- 

 cision of the Council as to the award of the Medal which, by the 

 laws of the Society, is at their disposal on the present occasion : and 

 I have to inform you that the Council have awarded the Medal to 

 Captain W. H. Smyth, R.N., Foreign Secretary of this Society, for 

 his Bedford Catalogue, forming the second part of the work entitled 

 Celestial Cycle, which has been published by that gentleman within 

 a few months. 



The Bedford Catalogue contains the most interesting double and 

 multiple stars of which the primaries are in Piazzi's Catalogue, and 

 a selection of clusters and nebula; from Messier's Catalogue (Conn. 

 des Temps, 1784) and from the papers of the two Herschels; com- 



