4 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



Mr. Everett, having alluded to the letter addressed to him- 

 self, as President of the University, by W. C. Bond, Esq., 

 Director of the Observatory, announcing the discovery, on the 

 16th of September, of an eighth satellite of Saturn,* read a short 

 paper on the discovery of the other satellites by Huyghens, 

 Cassinij and Sir William Herschel, and on the name proper to 

 be given to the satellite discovered by the Messrs. Bond. 

 Adopting the nomenclature proposed by Sir John Herschel, in 

 his late work on the Cape Observations, Mr. Everett suggested 

 that the new satellite, which comes next to lapetus, might be 

 called either " Prometheus " or " Hesper," sons of lapetus ; or, 

 if a brother of Saturn were preferred, it might be called " Hy- 

 perion." Some discussion arose on this point; and a commit- 

 tee, consisting of Messrs. Everett, Felton, Sparks, Peirce, and 

 Bond, was appointed on the subject of the discovery, and of a 

 name proper to be given to it. 



Professor Agassiz gave an account of the fossil Cetacea 



* Mr. Bond's letter is as follows : — 



" Observatory^ Cambridge^ Sept. 25, 1848. 

 "Dear Sir, — 



" On the evening of the 16th of this month a small star was noticed, situated 

 nearly in the plane of Saturn's ring, and between the satellites Titan and lapetus. 

 it was regarded at the time as accidental. It was, however, recorded, with an 

 estimated position in regard to Saturn. 



" The next night favorable for observation was the 18th, and, while comparing 

 the relative brightness of the satellites, the same object, similarly situated in re- 

 gard to the planet, was again noticed, and its position more carefully laid down. 

 But still at the time wc scarcely suspected its real nature. 



" From accurate measurements on the evening of the 19th, the star being found 

 to partake of the retrograde motion of Saturn, that portion of the heavens toward 

 which the planet was approaching was carefully examined, and every star near its 

 path for the two following nights laid down on a diagram, and micrometric meas- 

 ures of position and distance with objects in the neighbourhood were taken. 



" The evening of the 20th was cloudy. On the 21st the new satellite was found 

 to have approached the primary, and it moved sensibly among the stars while un- 

 der observation. Similar observations were repeated on the nights of the 22d and 

 23d. Its orbit is exterior to that of Titan. It is less briglit than either of the two 

 inner satellites discovered by Sir William Herschel. 



" Respectfully, 



" W. C. BOND.' 



"President Everett." 



