Royal Astronomical Society. 571 



crifices as many of the objects for which nations contend, and ex- 

 haust their physical and moral energies and resources. They are 

 gems of real and durable glory in the diadems of princes, and con- 

 quests which, while they leave no tears behind them, continue for 

 ever unalienable. 



It must be needless for me to express a hope that these re- 

 searches will be followed up. Already we have to congratulate 

 astronomy on the resolution taken by one of our great academic in- 

 stitutions to furnish its observatory with an heliometer of the same 

 description as Bessel's ; nor can we fear but that the research will 

 speedily be extended to other stars, offering varieties of magnitude 

 and other indications to draw attention to them. 



On the whole, then, the award of our medal, which the Council 

 have agreed on, seems to me, under the circumstances, fully justi- 

 fied. I will now request the Foreign Secretary to convey it to our 

 distinguished Associate ; and in so doing, I will add our hope that, 

 in the painful and distressing visitation with which it has pleased 

 Providence recently to try him, he may find occasion to withdraw 

 his mind awhile from that melancholy contemplation to receive 

 with satisfaction such a tribute to this his last and perhaps his 

 greatest achievement, accompanied as it is by the truest regard for 

 his private worth and the most respectful sympathy for his present 

 distress. 



The Meeting then proceeded to the Election of the Council for the Year 

 1841, when the following Fellows were elected, viz. 



President : the Hon. John Wrottesley, M.A. — Vice-Presidents : 

 George Biddell Airy, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., Astronomer Royal; Sir 

 John F. W. Herschel, Bart., K.H., M.A., F.R.S. ; John Lee, Esq., 

 LL.D., F.R.S. ; Rev. Richard Sheepshanks, M.A., F.R.S.— Trea- 

 surer : George Bishop, Esq. — Secretaries : Rev. Robert Main, M.A. ; 

 Lieut. Henry Raper, R.N. — Foreign Secretary : Richard W. Roth- 

 man, Esq., M.A. — Council: Francis Baily, Esq., F.R.S.; Rev. W. 

 Rutter Dawes; Augustus De Morgan, Esq. ; George Dollond, Esq., 

 F.R.S.; Bryan Donkin, Esq., F.R.S.; Rev. George Fisher, M.A. , 

 F.R.S. ; Thomas Galloway, Esq., M.A., F.R.S. ; Edward Riddle, 

 Esq. ; Captain W. H. Shirreff, R.N. ; Lieut. William S. Stratford, 

 R.N., F.R.S. 



March 12. — The following communications were read : — 



On a Reformation of the Constellations, and a Revision of the 

 Nomenclature of the Stars. By Dr. Olbers. Translated and com- 

 municated by Sir J. F. W. Herschel, Bart. 



From the earliest periods of history, it has been found that as 

 soon as mankind turned their attention to astronomy, it became re- 

 quisite to group the stars into different constellations, whose out- 

 lines might seem to designate various figures. Hence arose those 

 several constellations that have been handed down to us from the 

 Indians, Chinese, Egyptians, Persians, Arabians, Peruvians, and 

 .others ; as well as those which the Greeks adopted, and which 

 have survived to our own times. However curious and interesting 



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