Astronomical Society. 139 
rable forwardness. These tables, together with an ample in- 
troductory paper on their construction and use, by the Presi- 
dent of this Society, will constitute an appendix to the second 
volume of the Memoirs. 
*¢ Amongst the numerous communications which have been 
made from the Associates of this Society, the Council may 
specify a very interesting and elaborate paper, forwarded to 
the Foreign Secretary by M. Plana, on some important in- 
quiries in physical Astronomy, which will be found in the se- 
cond part of the second volume. The President also has 
received a letter from M. Bessel, requesting to know whether 
the Astronomical Society would patronize and promote a plan, 
which he had suggested, for making detached charts of the 
heavens. The President was requested by the Council to 
assure M. Bessel that the Astronomical Society would doubt- 
less promote so laudable and useful a measure, as much as lay 
in their power. ‘That active and indefatigable astronomer, 
pursuant to his general plan, now regularly observes all the 
smaller stars in zones, agreeably to the method suggested, and 
practised, by the late Rev. F. Wollaston. He has already com- 
pleted the zones within 15° on each side of the equator; and in 
that space has observed upwards of 30,000 stars. ‘The obser- 
vations are annually published by M. Bessel, with the other 
observations made at the Royal Observatory at Konigsberg. 
When they are reduced (as there is great reason to hope they 
will be), they will constitute a most valuable accession to the 
stores of Astronomy. 
‘‘ The instrument made use of in this survey of the heavens, 
as well as that used by Mr. Wollaston, were both made by 
the late Mr. Cary. 
** Others of the Associates have especially distinguished 
themselves, and have forwarded to this Society some very in- 
teresting communications, as the successive parts and volumes 
of the Memoirs will evince. In alluding to these distinguished 
characters, your Council cannot avoid noticing the indefati- 
gable labours of M. Schumacher, Professor of Astronomy at 
Copenhagen. His Astronomische Nachrichten, or Astronomi- 
cal Newspaper, has considerably facilitated the intercourse be- 
tween Astronomers in every part of the world; serving to re- 
cord the observations of various interesting phenomena, as 
well as to draw the attention of observers to other phanomena 
about to appear. He has also published several compendious 
collections of tables of great practical utility. Among these, 
your Council cannot omit a particular reference to the very 
important Tables, which constitute the second part of his 
Sammlung von Hiilfstafeln, and which have been prepared a 
ea the 
