ON THE NOMENCLATURE OF THE STARS. 33 



tions and redistribution of them into groups more easily recognizable than 

 those which have obtained currency. 



Your Committee, however, are desirous to be distinctly understood that for 

 certain astronomical purposes, although not for those to which catalogues of 

 stars arranged in order of right ascension are especially applicable, such a 

 remodelling, not only of the southern constellations but of those in both 

 hemispheres, is both desirable and necessary. Neither are the means of 

 putting such a project in execution wanting, as heretofore. The celestial 

 charts of Messrs. Argelander, which have arrived in this country and been 

 consulted by your Committee, would alone furnish data for such an under- 

 taking. To their general accuracy in respect of the magnitudes of the stars, 

 as far exceeding that of any other publication which has come to our know- 

 ledge*, we are prepared to testify — one of our number (Sir J. Herschel) 

 having (since the appointment of this Committee and in ignorance of M. Ar- 

 gelander's labours) carried out over the whole of the northern hemisphere, 

 and that part of the southern which lies between the Equator and the tropic 

 of Capricorn, a survey for the express purpose (in continuation of a similar 

 survey previously begun and completed by him for the southern constella- 

 tions), in which the whole surface of the heavens has been divided into tri- 

 angles, and each triangle examined seriatim down to stars of the sixth mag- 

 nitude. 



Nevertheless your Committee do not propose to extend their labours at 

 present to such a general remodelling. A resting-point has been attained, 

 and one of great value, even considered as a step to such an ulterior design, 

 as will be found explained in a statement, embodying the nature of the con- 

 clusions arrived at by the corrections effected and the alterations which it has 

 been found indispensable to make, drawn up by our late lamented colleague 

 Mr. Baily, and forming part of his preface to the Catalogue of the British 

 Association, which we append to this report. 



It ought to be mentioned, that the whole of the labour of revising and cor- 

 recting the nomenclature of the constellations visible in Europe, constituting 

 by far the most difficult and delicate part of the task undertaken, and in- 

 volving the necessity of a hardly credible amount of patient and persevering 

 research, has been executed by him, together with the very considerable 

 additional work of applying the general principles agreed on for the south- 

 ern circumpolar regions to the stars occurring in all the catalogues, and dis- 

 posing finally of the many difficulties which arose in so doing. 



No part of the remainder of the original grant of the Association (amount- 

 ing to £-}2 Os. 6c?.) has been actually disbursed during the current year by 

 the Committee, but liabilities have been incurred by the purchase of Messrs. 

 Argelander's and Schwinke's maps, and for some items of less importance, 

 which it has not been possible finally to discharge or even precisely to ascer- 

 tain owing to the recent melancholy event above alluded to, which will render 

 it necessary to continue to regard the grant in question disposable for those 

 purposes, though in other respects this report may be considered as final. 



(Signed on the part of the Committee) J. F. W. Herschel. 



• The charts of M. Schwinke which, at the date of our last report were understood to be 

 either published or in immediate course of publication, were ordered for the Committee, but 

 have not yet come to hand. The examination of M. Argelander's however had proved so sa- 

 tisfactory, as confirmatory of their views on a great many points, that it has not been considered 

 expedient to defer coming to a final conclusion (which would have retarded indefinitely the 

 printing of the Catalogues) for the arrival of the others. 



1844-. 



