298 Proceedings of the Royal Society. 



On Monday, December 1st, (St. Andrew's Day having fallen 

 on a Sunday,) the Fellows of the Royal Society held their An- 

 niversary at Somerset-House. — At 12 o'clock, when the President 

 took the chair, there was a numerous attendance of the Fellows. 

 The President began the business of the day, by reading the lists 

 of the newly admitted, and deceased, members, and on the last 

 occasion paid a tribute of respect to the memories of Dr. Jenner, 

 Dr. Hutton, Dr. Baillie, and Colonel Lambton, by describing the 

 characteristic labours, virtues, and talents of these eminent men. 



He then proceeded to state the award of the council of the 

 Copley Medal, to Mr. Pond, the Astronomer Royal, for his various 

 communications, published in the Transactions of the Royal Society. 



In a discourse which was received with the most profound at- 

 tention by the Fellows, the President gave a view of the import- 

 ant labours which had been carried on in the Royal Observatory, 

 since its foundation by Charles II., and which had led to the most 

 important discoveries made in modern times in astronomical 

 science. He entered into an animated panegyric of Flamstead, 

 Halley, Bradley, and Maskelyne, and spoke of the glory arising 

 to this country, from the immediate or ultimate results of their 

 researches which, illustrated by, and throwing light upon, the mathe- 

 matical laws of the motions of the heavenly bodies, developed by 

 our own illustrious Newton and his school, have given to us the 

 true knowledge of the system of the universe. He spoke of the 

 benefits which had been conferred by the observations, made at 

 Greenwich, on navigation and our maritime interests, repaying 

 a hundred fold the liberal expenditure of government on this great 

 national establishment. 



In speaking of the labours of Mr. Pond, he mentioned that the 

 two most important points of research to which he had directed 

 his attention, were, the cpjestion of the parallax of the fixed stars, 

 and observations which seem to show a considerable apparent 

 southern motion of many of the principal fixed stars. Mr. Pond 

 thinks there is no evidence of a sensible parallax. Dr. Brinkley, on 

 the contrary, is of opinion that this parallax distinctly exists. 

 " The Council of the Royal Society," said the President, " do not 



