1822.] Roi/al Society. 73 



it is quite impossible to do justice to this discourse, or to convey 

 to the reader an adequate idea of the profound attention and 

 respect with which it was received by the Society ; but we shall 

 attempt to sketch an outhne of some of the more striking and 

 interesting parts of it. 



The President began by observing, that the progress of disco-r 

 very is always an agreeable subject of contemplation, which is 

 increased when it arises from the talents of our own countrymen, 

 especially when connected with the power of distinguishing 

 them by a lasting token of respect. The President then stated 

 his conviction that the Society would participate in the satisfac* 

 tion he felt in the decision of the Council, in awarding Copley 

 medals to the gentlemen already named. 



Alluding to the labours of Mr. Herschel, Sir Humphry Davy 

 observed, that no branch of science is so calculated to excite 

 admiration as t|je sublime or transcendental geometry, as show-- 

 ing the wonderful powers of the human mind, and demonstrating 

 the beauty and wisdom of the system of the universe. It must 

 be gratifying to the Society, he observed, to see Mr. Her- 

 schel who, at an early period of life, had gained academical 

 honours of the highest kind, successfully continuing his pursuit 

 pf that kind of knowledge by which, from the labours of Newton^ 

 the Royal Society had acquired so much glory. Sir Humphry 

 then mentioned that Mr. Herschel has contributed four papers 

 to the Transactions of the Society on pure mathematical subjects; 

 the merits of these, he observed, could only be appreciated by 

 deeply studying them. Mr. Herschel, the President continued, 

 had not confined himself to the invention and development of 

 formulse, but had made important applications of them, and that 

 although the higher mathematics strengthen the reasoning facul- 

 ties, and afford intellectual pleasure, yet their grandest end and 

 use are in solving the physical phenomena of the universe, and 

 modifying the properties of matter. Sir H. then alluded to two 

 other papers of Mr. Herschel, in the Transactions of the Society, 

 on Physico -Mathematical subjects, connected with optical 

 phenomena. In the first of these papers, on polarized light, the 

 author was stated to have added to the subject, by some novel 

 investigations, and had reduced the explanation of the phenomena 

 to one general fact. In this paper Mr. Herschel had extended 

 or modified the views of others, but the second on the aberra- 

 tions of compound lenses and object glasses was more original, 

 and was, as the President observed, on a subject highly im- 

 portant to practical optics, by enabling artists to substitute 

 mathematical rules for empirical methods in working their 

 glasses ; thus adding, said the President, " to the immense 

 obligations owing to the name of Herschell in every thing con- 

 nected with the progress of modern astronomy, and the know^ 

 ledge of celestial phenomena." 



On presenting the medal to Mr. Herschel, the President 



