288 REPORT ON THE DISCOVERY AND NAME 



This subject was brought to the consideration of the Academy, in 

 a short paper read at the last informal meeting by the chairman of 

 the present committee. On this occasion he expressed himself as 

 follows : — " Established usage in reference to the designation of 

 the heavenly bodies and the symmetry of Sir John Herschel's no- 

 menclature of the satellites of Saturn require the adoption of some 

 name drawn from heathen mythology. Sir John Herschel has 

 confined himself to the family of Saturn, and among the yet un- 

 appropriated names in this family are Prometheus, Hyperion, and 

 Hesperus. As the new satellite stands next to lapetus, Prometheus, 

 the son of lapetus, (' Audax lapeti genus,') might seem an appro- 

 priate name. If it were deemed more consonant to uniformity to 

 place another brother of Saturn between lapetus and Titan, Hy- 

 perion answers that condition, and is in other respects a well- 

 sounding name. I should incline to prefer Hesperus, another son of 

 lapetus, as shorter and as having some appropriateness to a satellite 

 discovered on the Western Continent, were it not that Hesper is 

 employed by the poets for another purpose." 



This subject having, after some conversation, at the last meeting 

 of the Academy, been referred to the present committee, an early 

 opportunity was taken of consulting Mr. Bond as to the choice of a 

 name for the new satellite, he being considered by the committee 

 as the individual best entitled to decide the matter. He preferred, 

 with characteristic modesty, to withhold the expression of any wish 

 on that point, till it should be ascertained from Europe whether 

 he was the first discoverer of the satellite. The next steamer 

 brought the intelligence of Mr. Lassell's discovery, with a priority of 

 two days on the part of the Messrs. Bond. It also appeared that 

 Mr. Lassell had proposed to call the new satellite " Hyperion." 

 As this name is recommended by the consideration above adverted 



