738 PROGRESS OF ASTRONOMY FOR 1891 AND 1892. 



Under ordinary circiiiustaiu'es the comet medal will be awarded witliiii 

 two months after the date of the discovery. In cases of doubt a longer 

 period may elapse. The medal will not be awarded (unless under the 

 most exceptional circumstances) for the discovery of a comet until enough 

 observations are secured (by the discoverer or by others) to permit the 

 calculation and veriflcation of its orbit. 



V. This medal is to be a i)erpetual foundation from and after January 

 1, 1S90. 



The fourth award of tlie Douohoe medal was made to Dr. E. Spitaler, 

 assistant in the Imperial Observatory of Vienna, for his discovery of 

 a comet "in the morning- hours" of November IG, 1890. This was the 

 first comet discovered by Dr. Spitaler. 



The fifth award was made to Prof. T. Zona, adjunct astronomer in 

 the Royal Observatory of Palermo, for his discovery of a comet at 

 9^ 31'", Greenwich mean time, November 15, 1890. Also, his first dis- 

 covery of a comet. 



The sixth award was made to Mr. E. E. Barnard, astronomer of the 

 Lick Observatory, for his discovery of a comet at 10 hours, Greenwich 

 mean time, on March 29, 1891. This was the fitteeuth comet discov- 

 ered by Mr. Barnard. 



The seventh award was also made to Mr. Barnard for a comet dis- 

 covered at 0'' 55'", Greenwich mean time, on October 3, 1891. 



The eigth award was made to Dr. Lewis Swift for his discovery of 

 an unexi)ected comet on March G, 1892. 



The ninth award was made to Mr. W. F. Denning, of Bristol, Eng- 

 land, for his comet of March LS, 1892. 



The tenth award to JNIr. W. II. Brooks, of the Smith Observatory, Ge- 

 neva, New York, for a comet on August 28, 1892. 



The eleventh award was made to ]Mr. E. E. Barnard for his discov- 

 eiy by photography of an unexpected comet on October 12, 1892, at 

 Mount Hamilton. 



The twelfth award was made to Mr. Edwin Holmes, of London, 1^'ng- 

 land, for his comet of November G, L892. 



The thirteenth award to Mr. W. R. Brooks for his comet on Novem- 

 ber 19, 1892. 



The Acton prize. — Once in seven years the Acton prize of £100 is 

 awarded to the person whose scientific writings have been most ser- 

 viceable to the cause of natural religiou. The last prize was adjudged 

 to Prof. G. Stokes, of Cambridge University. The recipient in 1892 

 was Miss Agues Gierke, author of the "History of Astronomy in tlie 

 Nineteenth Century;" of the "System of the Stars;" and of "Studies 

 in Homer." 



The Bruce fund. — The fund of !f(),0i»(5 placed by Miss Bruce in I'rof. 

 Pickering's hands to be used in aid of astronomical work, has been 

 api>lied as follows: To Prof. Newcoiub, for a discussion of the contact 

 observalious of Venus during the transits of 1871 and 1882; Dr. I'lass- 



