74 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies, [Jan. 



desired him to receive it as a mark of the respect and admira- 

 tion of those talents which he had apphed with so much zeal 

 and success ; and to preserve it as a pledge of future exertions 

 in the cause of science and of the Royal Society ; and he as- 

 sured him that he could communicate his labours to no public 

 body by whom they would be better received, or through whose 

 records they would be better known to the philosophical world. 



'* Mr Hei*sche]," the President observed, *' was in the prime 

 of life, in the beginning of his career, and had powers and ac- 

 quirements capable of illustrating and extending every branch 

 of physical inquiry ; and in the field of science, there were spots 

 not yet investigated, or not yet cultivated. Where the laws of 

 sensible become connected with those of insensible motions, the 

 mechanical with the chemical phenomena, he observed that lit- 

 tle was known ; and that in electricity, magnetism, heat, the re- 

 lations of the crystaUized forms to the weights of the elements 

 of bodies, there were a number of curious and important ob- 

 jects of research. 



" May you continue," said the President, in concluding his 

 address to Mr. Herschel, " to devote yourself to philosophical 

 pursuits, and to exalt your reputation, already high, * Virtutem 

 extendere factis,' and these pursuits you will find not only glo- 

 rious, but dignified, useful, and gratifying, in every period of life : 

 this indeed/' continued the President, '' you must know best 

 in the example of your illustrious father, who, full of years and 

 of honours, must view your exertions with infinite pleasure, and 

 who in the hopes that his own imperishable name will be perma- 

 nently connected with yours in the annals of science, must look 

 forward to a double immortality." 



In speaking of the researches of Capt. Sabine, the President 

 observed, that the expeditions to the Arctic regions, which had 

 been planned with much liberality and sagacity, had awakened 

 strong interest in the public mind, and he observed that it 

 would be unnecessary to point out the particular merits of those 

 bold and enterprising persons who had devoted themselves to 

 the cause of science and their country. 



As, however, Capt. Sabine had been appointed Astronomer 

 and Philosophical Observer to the two first of these expeditions, 

 in consequence of the recommendation of the Council of the 

 Royal Society, they had thouglit it right to express their sense 

 of his merits by awarding him a Copley medal. 



The President observed, that Capt. Sabine had shown great 

 industry and perseverance in making experiments under pecu- 

 liarly difticult circumstances, and had accumulated an immense 

 number of observations in astronomy and meteorology, and in 

 the phenomena of magnetism and gravitation ; and the principal 

 of the experiments were conducted on the ice of the polar sea, 

 where the vessel was for several months frozen up. During a 

 considerable part of the time he was in darkness, or only guided 



