Zoological Society, 223 



satellites ; neither has he been able to find more than one double 

 observation of Polaris^ above and below the pole, on the same day. 

 There are eight occultations recorded ; together with five solar, and 

 four lunar eclipses. And amongst the usual observations there are 

 three transits of the two singular stars 36 Ophiuchi and 30 Scorpii, 

 remarkable for their great proper motion — journeying together 

 through space, although upwards of 13' distant from each other. 

 Fiamsteed has only one observation of 30 Scorpii^ and Bradley did 

 not observe it at all in right ascension. These observations, therefore, 

 by Dr. Halley are so far interesting and satisfactory, that they con- 

 firm the uniformity in the hiotion of the two stars. 



The non-publication of Halley 's observations seems to have ex- 

 cited public notice even in his lifetime j and it appears that Sir Isaac 

 Newton at length brought it under the notice of the Council of the 

 Royal Society, who were at that time appointed to superintend 

 such matters. Dr. Halley, who was present, excused himself by 

 stating that, " there being many uses to be made of the said ob- 

 servations for forming a method for better ascertaining the longitude 

 of places, and a great reward being appointed by Act of Parliament 

 for discovering such methods, he had hitherto kept his observations 

 in his own custody, that he might have time to finish the theory he 

 designs to build upon them, before others might take the advantage 

 of reaping the benefit of his labours." It was remarkable that this 

 was the last meeting of the Royal Society at which Newton was pre- 

 sent, as he died eighteen days after, in the 85th year of his age. 



Mr. Baily closes his account by stating that the copy of the ob- 

 servations presented to the Society by the Lords Commissioners of 

 the Admiralty had been examined and compared with the original 

 by Dr. Lee, the Treasurer, and Lieut. Raper, one of the Council of 

 the Society: a laborious task which they have executed with great 

 care and attention. In the execution of this troublesome under- 

 taking they discovered numerous errors of the amanuensis, which 

 have since been carefully corrected : so that there is now every 

 reason to believe that the transcript is a faithful and accurate copy 

 of the original. 



A short communication was read from Professor Schumacher to 

 Mr. Baily, announcing that two comets had been discovered by a 

 pupil of M. Dumouchel, of the Collegio Romano at Rome. *' As, 

 however," it is observed in the Monthly Notices of the Society, " no 

 very precise circumstances are given whereby the public might be 

 enabled to judge of the reality of the discovery, it would not be fair 

 to M. Dumouchel to make any formal announcement on the subject. 



Mr. Riddle communicated an account of a large meteor (appa- 

 rently about the size of the moon) which was seen by Mr. Haggard, 

 and Mr. Haggard, jun., at Blackheath, between twelve and one 

 o'clock on the night of Wednesday, October 20. Mr. Haggard de- 

 scribes it as resembling a ball from a Roman candle in colour. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



September 9, 1834. — A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary 

 l)y Dr. E. lliippcll, and dated Frankfort, August 10, 1834. It was 



