316 EIGHTH REPORT — 1838. 



for that purpose, which was placed at the disposal of the As- 

 tronomer Royal, who had undertaken to superintend the re- 

 ductions. 



Mr. Baily reported that the reduction of the stars intended to 

 form the enlarged Catalogue of the Royal Astronomical Society 

 was in progress ; that a small portion only of the original sum 

 appropriated had been expended ; but that, in all probability, 

 the whole would be I'equired in the course of the ensuing year. 



Mr. Baily reported that the reduction of the stars in the His- 

 toire Celeste, &c., was in progress ; that a small portion only of 

 the sum appropriated had at present been expended ; but that 

 about half the amount would be required. 



Mr. Baily added, that he had made repeated application to 

 the Secretary of the Bureau des Longitudes for the corrected 

 copy of the Histoire Celeste gratuitously offered by that Board 

 for the use of the computers ; but that he had not yet received 

 any answer to such applications. 



Report of the Committee for the Liverpool Observatory. 



The Committee, after carefully examining the local circum- 

 stances of the port of Liverpool, and arranging the plan which 

 seemed most expedient for the establishment of an Observatory 

 at Liverpool, laid it before the local authorities, who approved 

 of the proposed arrangement, and expressed their readiness to 

 carry it into effect as soon as the necessary powers could be 

 obtained from Parliament. 



Chemical Section. 

 Apparatus for the Detection and Measurement of Gases pre- 

 sent in minute quantity in Atmospheric Air. By Wm. West. 

 Mr. West produced and reported verbally upon his apparatus 

 for the above purpose, for the construction of which the Asso- 

 ciation had, in a former year, voted the sum of 20/. By the ac- 

 tion of a spiral spring in front of the drum or cylinder of Cros- 

 ley's gasometer, a partial vacuum is produced, to fill which the 

 air presses from without, and in its passage is conducted through 

 several two-necked bottles filled with liquids fitted to combine 

 with and detain the gases sought, as lime-water for carbonic 

 acid, &c. The same gasometer registers the quantity of air 

 thus deprived of the accidental and variable gas, while the 

 quantity of gas separated is found by calculation from the pre- 

 cipitate formed in the bottles. The apparatus had been con- 



