FOURTH MEETING. 



Royal Institution, NovemLer 28, 1853. 



J. B. YATES, Esq., F.S.A., Vice-President, in the chair. 



Mr. Thomas Croxon Archer was ballotted for, and duly elected an 

 Ordinary Member. 



Mr. J. B. Yates read extracts from a paper, on the " Palatinate 

 Jurisdiction of the City of Chester," with a Memorial of the Life and 

 Character of Edward, third Earl of Derby. 



Mr. J. T. TowsoN read the first part of a paper on " Great Circle 

 Sailing." 



FIFTH MEETING. 



Royal Institution. — December 12, 1853. 



J. B. YATES, Esq., F.S.A., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



The Rev. James Porter, B.A., Mr. Thomas McNicholl, Mr. 

 Joseph Godden, and Mr. John Keates, were ballotted for, and duly 

 elected Ordinaiy Members. 



Mr. J. T. TowsoN concluded his paper on 



GREAT CIRCLE SAILING. 



Great Circle Sailing is the art of navigating a ship by the shortest 

 possible route. A straight line is absolutely the shortest track between 

 any two points ; but a straight line cannot be projected on the surface 

 of a globe. It must either touch it at one point, passing off from the 

 surface as a tangent ; or, if two points on such a surface be united by a 

 straight line, it must be effected by tunnelling below the surface ; the 

 straight line in this last case being the chord of the arc between the 

 two points. Since then we cannot sail over the surface of the ocean in 

 a straight line, let us inquire what route is practicable, which differs less 

 than any other from a straight line. This we shall find to be what we 

 denominate the arc of a great circle. If we slightly bend a straight rod 



