Astronomical Society. 141 
«‘ Sir Thomas Brisbane, Governor of New South Wales, has 
devoted himself indefatigably to the practice of Astronomy, at 
Paramatta in that colony, having taken out with him some 
excellent instruments for that purpose. He and his assistants 
have already made several thousand observations, the records 
of which have been sent over to this country: and it is hoped 
that they will be published, either in their original shape, or. 
after they have been reduced to some appropriate epoch. Dr. 
Brinkley, of Dublin, one of the Vice- Presidents of this Society, 
has instituted a series of computations on Sir Thomas Bris- 
bane’s Observations, with a view to the comparison of the 
results thus furnished, with the results deduced from obser- 
vations made in the northern hemisphere. ‘This particular in- 
quiry has served to confirm the accuracy of the constant of 
retraction, formerly exhibited by that illustrious astronomer 
in his well-known formula for that species of reduction. Dr. 
Brinkley’s paper on this subject is printed, and will appear in 
Part I. Vol. ii. of the Memoirs of this Society. 
‘¢ Another of the Members of the Astronomical Society, the 
Rey. Fearon Fallows, Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope, 
has also made a great number of Observations of the southern 
stars; and the Royal Society has published his Approximate 
Catalogue of 273 of the principal stars observed by La Caille. 
«* The continuance of Observations, such as these, at two 
Observatories in the southern hemisphere, cannot but be pro- 
ductive of considerable benefit to the science of Astronomy. 
In order, however, that they may be rendered subservient, in 
the highest degree, to the extension of this branch of know- 
ledge, it is especially desirable that some efficient plan of co- 
operation should be arranged between the Astronomers at 
some of the northern Observatories, and those who are em- 
ployed at the two above-mentioned stations, south of the equa- 
tor. Those who are conversant with the history of Astronomy 
will recollect that when La Caille went to the Cape of Good 
Hope, in 1751, he addressed a circular letter to the principal 
Astronomers in Europe, enforcing the advantages of co-opera- 
tion ; and Lalande was in consequence sent to Berlin, to act 
in concert with him. Circumstances are now still more favour- 
able for the production of advantageous results, provided a 
judicious plan of mutual co-operation be agreed upon. For 
while there is the Observatory established by Sir T. Brisbane 
in New South Wales, and that occupied by Mr, Fallows at 
the Cape; there are also in the northern hemisphere, M. Bessel 
at Konigsberg, M. Struve at Dorpat, and M. Argelander at 
Abo (the meridians of the four latter-mentioned places differ- 
ing from each other but a very few degrees),—the respective 
Astronomers, 
