Royal Astronomical Society. 517 



the most odious appellation of the time. One question might be 

 asked which would, perhaps, add some force to the preceding re- 

 marks, if reasons for an answer were sought : — How came the men 

 of science, who were bred at our English universities, to let Priestley, 

 whose life was one turmoil of controversy, and who visibly must have 

 written four pages a-day, or thereabouts, of theological discussion 

 during his whole experimental career, run off with such a splendid 

 portion of the first-fruits of real chemistry ? 



The other work of Mr. Frend, his ' Elements of Algebra,' will lead 

 every one who peruses it to think, with sincere regret, of his having 

 preferred rejection to amendment ; and will be a lesson to writers 

 yet to come, that they should let that stand which appears to lead 

 to truth, whatever warning they may think it necessary to give that 

 the reason why it does so lead is imperfectly understood. It is, on 

 the points which it treats, the clearest book in our language. Some- 

 thing of this is due to the rejection of difficulty ; something to the 

 use of no problems except those which can be answered in integers ; 

 but there remains enough to show that a work from such a writer, 

 which should have taken algebra as it stood, distinguishing the part 

 of which the logic was then complete from that of which the prin- 

 ciples remained insufficiently understood, would have been the most 

 valuable present which could have been made to the elementary 

 student, and would, perhaps, have greatly accelerated the transition 

 to the present state of the science, in which none need find a my- 

 stery. In all probability, the attack of Mr. Frend did materially in- 

 fluence this result. Among his papers is preserved a letter to him 

 from M. Buee, a Frenchman residing in England, dated June 21, 

 1801, containing the form in which the perusal of Mr. Frend's work 

 made the writer put together his own views of the subject ; and ad- 

 mirably expressed. Of course it cannot be said how much sugges- 

 tion was derived from the necessity of replying to specific objections ; 

 what is certain is, that in a few years from that time, this same M. 

 Buee was, though in an imperfect manner, what Dr. Peacock calls 

 the first formal maintainer of that exposition which removes the 

 long standing difficulty. 



Finally, whatever may be our opinion on the peculiarities of Mr, 

 Frend's views, we must remember with high satisfaction that he was, 

 during the last years of his life, one of our Fellows ; and, also, that no 

 narrow idea of the necessity of conformity of opinion prevented a 

 man of his intellectual station from being called to the Council of the 

 Society. The sincere regret with which the Council announces the 

 loss which our Body has sustained is materially lessened by the reflec- 

 tion that his extensive learning, practical wisdom in the affairs of life, 

 chivalrous assertion of all that he thought true, and extraordinary 

 benevolence of feeling, were permitted a long and useful career, ter- 

 minated only by natural decay, and followed by the love of many, 

 and the respect of all. 



It is well known to many of the Members of this Society that an 

 enlarged and improved Catalogue of the Stars, arranged after the 

 manner of the Catalogue of this Society, has been a long time in 



