140 Astronomical Society. 
the purpose of reducing the 50,000 stars contained in La- 
lande’s Histoire Céleste ; serving, indeed, to effect the reduc- 
tion of any one of those stars in the short space of two or three 
minutes. 
“© Thus, whilst M. Schumacher has laid all Astronomers 
under considerable obligations by. the publication of these 
tables, he has conferred a peculiar mark of his esteem upon 
the body now assembled, by dedicating this volume to the 
Astronomical Society; a distinction, which they, who know 
the talent and zeal of this our eminent Associate, will be able 
to appreciate in an adequate manner. 
“ Qne of our Associates, M. Struve, has devoted himself 
with great perseverance and success to the observation, and 
classification, of double stars; an important department of 
astronomical research, which was originally opened and pur- 
sued with his wonted assiduity and accuracy by our late re- 
vered president, Sir William Herschel. 
* This subject has been still more extensively pursued, and 
with considerable ardour and zeal, by two of our Members, 
Messrs. Herschel and South; whose labours on this very in- 
teresting branch of the science are contained in a paper read 
before the Royal Society, and which in itself forms the third 
part of the Philosophical Transactions for the Year 1824. 
Whoever has read that paper with attention, must be struck 
with the vast labour and perseverance, the great accuracy and 
uniformity of result, with which those delicate observations 
have been made. Such an immense mass of interesting facts 
cannot fail to open new views to the contemplative philosopher, 
and extend our knowledge of the true system of the universe: 
and Mr. Herschel himself has, in a communication about to 
be laid before the Royal Society, made a happy application 
thereof, as explanatory of some of the pheenomena connected 
with parallax. The indefatigable ardour of Mr. South in the 
cause of Astronomy, induced him to follow up his researches 
on the same subject whilst he was in France; and he has re- 
cently made a communication to the Royal Society, of some 
new observations, of equal, if not superior, importance; and 
which will appear in a subsequent volume of the Philosophical 
Transactions. : 
** For these laborious and valuable researches and observa- 
tions relative to double stars, the Council have awarded to 
each of those distinguished Members and Associate, Mr. Her- 
schel, Mr. South, and M. Struve, the Gold Medal of the So- 
ciety, which will be presented to them at a General Meeting 
expressly called for that purpose, as soon as the medals can 
be prepared. 
*¢ Sir 
Se ee ee eee 
