164 NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES OF THE 



It is true that Dr. Bradley's attention was attracted to these differences in 

 1725, when observing with his friend, Mr. Molyneux' instrument at Kew ; and 

 it was in consequence of this that he had a larger Zenith Sector, with an object- 

 glass of 2-85 inches, constructed by Graham, and set up in Wanstead (Lat- 

 51° 342') on the 19 August, 1727. On this date he records : " Mr. Molyneux and 

 Mr. Graham came to Wanstead and we fixed it up." All the observations which 

 led to his two notable discoveries were actually made in Wanstead, as recorded 

 not only by Dr. Bradlej-, but also by Dr. Maskel3-ne, who had worked with him 

 at Greenwich, and was appointed Astronomer Ro3'al in 1765- 



The latter in his Preface to the 1st volume of " Greenwich Observations," 

 thus records : — 



"This instrument, constructed by that excellent artist, Mr. Graham, with his 

 peculiar elegance and accuracy, was fixed up at W^anstead in the year 17271 for 

 the use of that great astronomer. Dr. Bradley ; who, from his first year's observa- 

 tions with it, discovered the apparent motion of the fixed stars, which he called 

 the aberration of light, and settled the laws of it ; and from the same observations 

 continued for a course of twent}' j-ears, discovered the nutation of the Earth's 

 axis : t-,vo discoveries so profound, and at the same time, so useful and necessary 

 to the impro\ement of astronomy, that they will ever do him honour, while 

 accurate observations and astronomical speculations are held in estimation."] 



NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELE- 

 GATES OF THE CORRESPONDING SOCIE- 

 TIES OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION, HELD 

 AT NOTTINGHAM, 1893 



T AST autumn, as Delegate of the Club, I sent some notes to The 

 ^-^ Essex Naturalist on the Conference of Delegates of the 

 Corresponding Societies which had been held at Edinburgh (E. 

 N., vol. vi., pp. 175-179). This year I forward some notes on the 

 Conference which took place last September during the meeting of 

 the British Association at Nottingham. 



The first Conference was on September 14th, at University 

 College, Nottingham. Professor Meldola being unavoidably absent, 

 the chair was taken by Dr. (iarson, who has always shown much 

 interest in the work of the Corresponding Societies Committee, and 

 in promoting increased co-operation between the Corresponding 

 Societies and the various committees of the British Association 

 which need their assistance. He remarked on the increased num- 

 ber of Corresponding Societies since the year 1885, when they were 

 first enrolled, but he thought that they did not always sufficiently 

 appreciate their advantages. Out of more than sixty societies on the 

 list only forty-two had nominated delegates, though, considering the 

 privilege enjoyed by a delegate of being ex-officio a member of the 

 General Committee of the British Association, it could hardly be 



