Memoir of the late Francis Baily, Esq.^ F.R.S., 8^c. 65 



lished in 1835, a rapidity of execution truly astonisliing, when 

 we consider that tlie vohime extends to nearly 800 pages 

 quarto; tiiat the notes to the Catalogue alone occupy no less 

 than 144- of them closely printed, not a line of which but in- 

 volves some question of identity, of nomenclature, of arith- 

 metical inquiry, or of reference to other authorities; that the 

 examination and selection of the letters and other biographi- 

 cal matter for publication was a matter of the utmost delicacy 

 and responsibility; and that the preface, which contains Mr. 

 Baily's own summary of Flamsteed's life, the introduction to 

 the Catalogue and the Supplement, in further vindication of 

 Flamsteed's character and justification of his own views of it, 

 — are all of them works of a very elaborate nature and of the 

 liighest interest. 



Catalogties of Lacaille and Lalande. — But Mr.Baily's views 

 were not confined to the mere correction of existing cata- 

 logues. The labour of the commentator and collator, which 

 has filled and satisfied so many minds, was to him only a means 

 to an end of real practical importance. His aim was to ren- 

 der readily available to every astronomer all recorded obser- 

 vations of the sidereal heavens which could be depended on. 

 Two great masses of observation might be said to exist buried 

 under their own weight, and affording matter of grief and re- 

 proach to astronomy, now to be exchanged for congratula- 

 tion and triumph. These were Lacaille's observations at the 

 Cape of nearly 10,000 stars, and those of D'Agelet and Mi- 

 chel Lefran^ais Lalande at Paris, of nearly 50,000. Neither 

 of these collections of observations had been more than par- 

 tially reduced. Lacaille himself had performed this task for 

 1942 of his stars. A considerable number of the stars of the 

 Histoire Celeste (Lalande's observations) had also been re- 

 duced and catalogued by Bode. But the great mass of both 

 remained unreduced and unarranged, though it is true that 

 Lacaille had accompanied each page of his observations with a 

 table of reductions ; and that in 1825, Professor Schumacher 

 had published and dedicated to this Society a volume of assist- 

 ant tables, enabling any one, with little trouble, to reduce any 

 single observation of the Histoire Celeste. Still they remained 

 unreduced, and therefore useless, except on those rare occa- 

 sions when, for special reasons, it might be necessary to search 

 out and reduce any particular object. 



Thus was a treasure of great value held in abeyance. This 

 Mr. Baily perceived, and after some correspondence with the 

 French Bureau des Longitudes, which, however, led to no 

 result, he resolved to bring the subject before the British As- 

 sociation. That liberal and energetic body at once acceded to 



Phil. MafT. S. 3. Vol. 26. No. 170. Jan. 1845. F 



