280 Royal Astronomical Society, 



tanical expeditions to Guinea and Sierra Leone, and a considerable 

 part of the collections which he formed in those countries passed 

 subsequently into the herbariums of Sir Joseph Banks and Sir James 

 Edward Smith. In 1797 he was made Secretary of Legation to the 

 Swedish Embassy in this country, and in the following year he was 

 elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society on the ground of 

 his great knowledge of botany and zoology. Upon his return to his 

 own country, he became Professor of Materia Medica and Diaetetics, 

 at Upsala, situations which he retained for the remainder of his life. 

 He was the author of a learned paper in the Linnean Transactions 

 for 1791 on the genus Trifolium*, and also of two works entitled 

 Hemedia Guinensia and Stirpium in Guinea medicinalium species : 

 he edited likewise the botanical Correspondence of Linnaeus. He 

 was a botanist of great learning and acquirements, and highly 

 esteemed by the leading founders of the Linnean Society ; but I am 

 unable to connect his name with any considerable advancement in 

 natural knowledge. 



Professor Morichini, of Rome, was elected a Foreign Member of 

 the Royal Society in 1827, and is chiefly known for his experiment 

 on the magnetizing influence of the violet rays in the solar spectrum. 

 His experiment was repeated by Configliachi at Pavia, and by 

 Berard at Montpellier, without success, and in consequence doubts 

 were expressed of the accuracy of his results, which appeared to be 

 finally removed by the successful repetition of it by our justly cele- 

 brated countrywoman Mrs. Somerville, in the summer of 1 825. I 

 am not aware however that any other philosopher has succeeded in 

 a similar attemptf . 



[To be continued.] 



ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 



Nov. 10, 1837. — Among the numerous presents to the Library, laid 

 on the table this evening, was the magnificent work of Struve, on the 

 micrometrical measures of double and multiple stars, made at the 

 Dorpat Observatory, from 1824 to 1837, with Fraunhofer's great 

 telescope ; accompanied with a Report to the President of the Impe- 

 rial Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg, detailing the nature of 

 the work, and the principal results which, had been deduced. 



The following communications were read : — 



On the Parallax of a L)Tae. By the Astronomer Royal. 



The author commences with stating, that after the discussions 

 as to the sensible annual parallax of a Lyrse, which have been con- 

 ducted with so much ability and ardourj, and in which the opposite 



* Prof. Afzelius was the author of another paper in the Linnean Trans- 

 actions, vol. iv., entitled '* Observations on the genus PausuSj and Descrip- 

 tion of a new Species.^' — Edit. 



t See Phil. Mag,, First Series, vol. liii. p. 269 : Mrs. Somerville's paper 

 was given in vol. Ixviii., p. 168. 



I Mr. Pond's paper on the Parallax of ec Lyrae was inserted in Phil. Mag., 

 First Series, vpl. Ixii. p. 292. 



