134 Royal Astronomical Society. 



strongly his opinion that those observations should be given up to 

 the Council, that they might have full means of justifying their 

 award. The slips of paper containing the results of the measures 

 had been transferred to Dr. Lee, with the Bedford instruments. In 

 March, however, they were forwarded to our Secretary by Captain 

 Smyth, with the consent of Dr. Lee, and are now the property of 

 the Society, which owes its thanks to both the gentlemen named, 

 for their ready accession to the President's request. The Council, 

 fully concurring in the Astronomer Royal's remarks, have great sa- 

 tisfaction in making this announcement. 



It has been for some time understood that it was the intention of 

 our respected colleague, Dr. Pearson, to bequeathe to the Society the 

 stock and plates of his most valuable work on Practical Astronomy. 

 Some months since he expressed his desire that the Society should 

 take charge of 500 copies, till such time (a distant one we hope) as 

 his bequest should take effect. This request being readily granted, 

 the copies in question were deposited in our apartments : the plates 

 still remain in Mr. Woodfall's custody. 



Among the other presents received during the past year may be 

 mentioned the manuscript observations of the Paramatta Catalogue 

 of 7385 Stars, presented by Sir Thomas Brisbane. 



To Mr. Tumor the Society is indebted for the gift of the curious 

 manuscript Almanacs described in the recently published volume of 

 our Memoirs by our lamented Assistant- Secretary. 



The Society has to regret the loss, by death, of the following 

 Fellows : — Admiral Greig, Lieutenant A. P. Greene, General Sir 

 Robert Dundas, Charles Shearman, Esq., and the Rev. Henry Cod- 

 dington. 



The post of Director of the Edinburgh Observatory, vacant by the 

 lamented death of Mr. Henderson, has been conferred by Govern- 

 ment on Mr. Charles Piazzi Smyth, the second son of our President, 

 who, as is well known to all here present, has been engaged for the 

 last ten years as assistant to Mr. Maclear, at the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Mr. Piazzi Smyth has lately arrived in England, and is now 

 settled at Edinburgh, and engaged in the performance of his duties. 

 Educated in so good a school, and having hitherto shown so much 

 zeal in the pursuit of practical astronomy, we cannot doubt that he 

 will do additional honour to the name which he bears ; and in that 

 persuasion, the Council feel sure this meeting will join them in 

 congratulating our President on the prospects which have opened to 

 his son. 



The Council have awarded the gold medal to the Astronomer 

 Royal for his recent publication of the reductions of the Greenwich 

 Planetary Observations from 1750 to 1830. This work was de- 

 scribed generally in the last Annual Report, as about to appear. The 

 President will undertake, at the close of the ordinary proceedings of 

 this day, to describe and justify the grounds on which the award 

 was made. The Council will add nothing except their entire con- 

 viction, that it rarely happens that so valuable a present is made by 

 the practical to the theoretical astronomer ; and seldom indeed, that 



