328 Proceedings of the 



The President then announced the following deaths of Fellows of 

 this Society during the last year, namely, 



Francis Maseres, Esq., 

 Sir Thomas Plumer, Knight, 

 Sir Tliomas Reid, Hart., 

 Rev. Thomas Rennel, D.D., 

 John Walker, Esq. 



Carsten Anker, Esq., 

 James Peter Auriol, Esq., 

 George Lord Byron, 

 Thomas Chevalier, Esq., 

 WiUiani Falconer, M.D., 

 Mr. Wilson Lowry, 



On reading over this" list of deceased members, the President 

 observed that the only character which he was called upon to 

 notice as a contributor to the Philosophical Transactions and an 

 active member of the society, was that of Baron Maseres who may 

 be considered, said Sir Humphry, as belonging to the old mathe- 

 matical school of Britain, and who devoted much of his leisure and 

 a portion of his fortune to the pursuit and encouragement of the 

 higher departments of algebra and geometry. The President then 

 adverted to his communications to the Royal Society, and eulo- 

 gised his disinterested attachment to science as shown by his own 

 publications, and by the liberality with which he encouraged those 

 of others. He died in extreme old age, having almost outlived his 

 faculties. 



Following the course of the business of the day, the President 

 •announced the decision of the Council with respect to the Copleyan 

 medal, which was awarded to the Rev. John Brinkley, D.D., 

 Andrew's Professor of Astronomy in the University of Dublin, and 

 President of the Royal Irish Academy, for his various communica- 

 tions printed in the transactions of the Royal Society. 



Sir H. Davy then proceeded to state the grounds upon which 

 the Council had awarded this token of the respect of the Society on 

 the present occasion, pointing out Dr. Brinkley's merits as an accu- 

 rate and acute observer, dwelling in detail upon his various astro- 

 nomical publications, explaining his enquiries and their results as 

 contrasted with those of other philosophers, and elucidating their 

 interest and importance by a somewhat extended sketch of the 

 history of astronomical discoveries. 



