Anmversari/ of IS37. Address of the President, 271 



in this country, to the readiness which the Lords of the Treasury 

 and the Admiralty have shown on this and on every other occasion 

 to forward scientific inquiries, and particularly such as are con- 

 nected with the advancement of astronomy and navigation. They 

 have granted funds for reducing and publishing the Planetary 

 Observations at Greenwich, the valuable and extensive series of 

 observations of the late Mr. Groombridge, for repeating upon an 

 adequate scale the very important experiments of Mr. Cavendish, 

 and for many other subjects of great scientific interest and value ; 

 and I feel satisfied that every application for assistance towards the 

 accomplishment of any important object in science, will receive from 

 them the most willing attention and support, if it comes before them 

 with the recommendation and authority of those persons who are 

 most competent to judge of its usefulness or necessity, and in such 

 a form as may justify them in appealing to Parliament for its sanc- 

 tion of the requisite expenditure. I rejoice, Gentlemen, in such 

 manifestations of the sympathy of the Government of this great 

 country for the progress of science, and I trust that its influence 

 will be felt in the cordial union and co-operation of philosophers 

 in planning and in executing those great systems of observations, 

 whether simultaneous or not, which are still requisite to fill up 

 some of those blank spaces which occupy so large a portion in the 

 map of human knowledge. 



In the course of last year the celebrated Baron de Humboldt ad- 

 dressed a letter to me, as President of the Royal Society, expressing 

 a wish that Magnetical Observatories, upon a uniform plan, might 

 be established in this country and its colonies, with a view of making 

 simultaneous observations with those which are now making, or 

 which are in progress to be made, in different parts of the continent 

 of Europe and of Northern Asia.* I felt it to be due to the illus- 

 trious author of this communication to make it generally known to 

 the Fellows of the Royal Society, and to beg that a committee of 

 the Council might be appointed to consider the best mode of carry- 

 ing its recommendations into effect. A very elaborate Report was 

 consequently made by the Astronomer Royal and Mr. Christie in 

 November last, enumerating many important consequences which 

 might result from such a system of observations, and pointing out a 

 series of stations where they might most efficiently be made. I am 

 happy to inform you, Gentlemen, that measures are in progress for 

 the accomplishment of all these objects : a Magnetical Observatory, 

 which was long contemplated and earnestly recommended by the 

 Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory, has been established at 

 Greenwich, in a situation so remote from all other buildings as to 

 be altogether free even from the suspicion of external disturbances. 

 The Corps of Royal Engineers, which has always been distinguished 

 for the zeal and scientific acquirements of many of its Members, 

 has spontaneously offered to conduct the requisite observations, in 



* A translation of Baron de Humboldt's letter to the President will be 

 found in Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag., vol. ix, p. 4?. 



