206 report — 1842. 



Report of the Committee on the British Association Catalogue of Stars. 



I have the honour to report on the subject of this catalogue, that the cal- 

 culations of the places of the stars, with the annual precessions, secular va- 

 riations, and proper motions, together with the logarithms of the requisite 

 constants, are completed for nearly 8300 stars, which is about the number 

 originally contemplated ; — that the same are fairly copied out for the 

 press ; and that the construction of the table of synonyms is now in pro- 

 gress, two-thirds of which ' are already completed ; that the whole of the 

 sum granted at the last meeting of the Association has been expended, and 

 that a further sum of £25 will be required for the completion of some of the 

 above stars in peculiar positions, and for the final completion of the syno- 

 nyms ; that the above sum of £25 is all that will be wanting in future, as Mr. 

 Farley (the principal computer and superintendent) has undertaken to com- 

 plete the work, ready for the press, without any further remuneration, and 

 which will be ready for delivery in a few weeks. Under these circumstances, I 

 have caused an estimate to be made of the expense of printing the same : and 

 I find, that the CQst of paper and printing 500 copies in quarto, will be about 

 £550, but that 1000 copies will cost £150 more. It will be requisite, how- 

 ever, to employ some one to correct the press, and to superintend the arrange- 

 ment of the work, which will add to the expense here mentioned. A pretty 

 large preface will be requisite, explanatory of the mode adopted in bringing 

 up the several stars to the given epoch, and of various circumstances connect- 

 ed with the investigation, as well as descriptive of the method of using the 

 catalogue in its present form. But on these points I am willing to render 

 any assistance in my power. Francis Baily. 



On the erection of one of Mr. Osier's Anemometers at Inverness, one 

 of the Stations at which Hourly Observations with the Barometer 

 and Thermometer have been made at the ' request of the British 

 Association. By Sir David Brewster. 



Owing to the difficulty of obtaining a suitable place for the erection of the 

 anemometer, the observations did not commence till the 15th of April. The 

 indications of the rain-gauge commenced on the 6th of May, so that a com- 

 plete series of observations for one year will be laid before the meeting of the 

 Association for 1813. The observations are registered and superintended by 

 Mr. Thomas Mackenzie and the Rev. Mr. Gray, Rector of the Royal Academy 

 of Inverness. 



On the Hourly Series of Meteorological Observations made at Inverness 

 during the Meteorological year from the 1st of November 1840 3 to 

 the 1st of November 1841. By Sir David Brewster. 



The mean temperature of Inverness for the summer months was 52°'25S ; 

 the mean temperature of the winter months 40°*287 ; and the mean tempe- 

 rature for the whole year 46 0- 272. This mean temperature occurred at 

 8 h 33 m a.m. and 7 b 42'", the critical interval being ll h 9 m , differing only a 

 few minutes from the result obtained by similar hourly observations made at 

 Leith. The observations made with the barometer, when reduced to the 

 level of the sea, and to the temperature of 60°, indicate very distinctly the 

 daily variation, with its two maxima and minima. The mean annual average 

 of all the observations was 29*680 inches. The monthly mean indicated a 

 maximum iu December and in June, and a minimum in March and in October. 



