274 Report of the Aslronomicnl Society. 



In the infancy of the Society much of the time of the Council 

 has been necessarily employed in arranging the usual routine of 

 its business: nevertheless, they venture to hops that, in those 

 subjects which have come before them, they have laid the basis 

 for promoting future improvements and discoveries ; which, fol- 

 lowed up with zeal and assiduity, must lead to the most beneficial 

 results. 



In the science of Astronomy, where the observations of two or 

 three thousand years, and those made in various parts of the 

 world, have not yet led to the rigorous determination of many of 

 the elements of the science, it can scarcely be expected that the 

 efforts of a few individuals, hitherto confined to their own country, 

 can huve effected much in the short space of a twelvemonth. 

 But, since more can tiouj be done in the compass of a few years 

 than could be formerly effected in a century (owing in a great 

 measure to the superior accuracy of modern instruments,, but 

 more especially to those invaluable principles of philosophy and 

 that refined analysis first introduced by our illustrious country- 

 man) they indulge the pleasing but not unreasonable hope that, 

 by the'active co-operation of a whole scientific body, and the zeal 

 and emulation thereby excited among astronomers of every coun- 

 try, the science will advance constantly and more rapidly towards 

 that stale of ultimate perfection, which it is so eminently calcu- 

 lated to attain. 



With a view to stimulate such pursuits, the Council have or- 

 dered a die to be formed, for the purpose of striking medals in 

 bronze, silver and gold ; to be bestowed, as an honorary distinc- 

 tion, on such persons as may, from time to time, distinguish 

 themselves by any material discovery, or improvement in the 

 science. And, in order to direct the attention of astronomers to 

 those points which appear most worthy of encouragement, they 

 will here state some of the principal subjects on which they have 

 at present decided to bestow such rewards. In the first place, 

 they propose to bestow the medal for the discovery of any new 

 planet, satellite, or comet: or for the re-discovery of any old co- 

 met, or of any stars that have disappeared. Considering also 

 the great importance (both in a nautical and in a geographical 

 point of view) of having accurate observations of the eclipses of 

 Jupiter's satellites and of occultations of stars by the moon, they 

 think that the medal should be given for any considerable col- 

 lection not only of original observations of this kind, but also of 

 well authenticated recorded observations, reduced to the mean 

 time of the meridian of some well known observatory. Observa- 

 tions likewise on the positions of the fixed stars, tending cither' 

 to the enlargement and perfection of our present catalogues, or 

 to the more accurate determination of the variable ones in size, 



colour 



;ur, 



Jl 



