Astranomical Society. Sftl 



Home, Esq.; Charles KonigEsq. ; Rev. Thomas Rackett; 

 James F. Stephens, Esq. 



The anniversary dinner of the Society at the Freemasons' 

 Tavern was well attended. The presence of Sir J. E. Smith 

 in improved health added much to the enjoyment of the day. 

 Among those who addressed the meeting on subjects interest- 

 ing to the lovers of Natural History, were the venerable 

 bishop of Carlisle; Lord Stanley; T. A. Knight, Esq., Presi- 

 dent of the Horticultural Society ; the Rev. Professor Buck- 

 land, President of the Geological Society ; and the Rev. Dr. 

 Fleming. Numerous expressions of respect and cordial 

 esteem towards A. MacLeay, Esq., who has for many years 

 most ably filled the office of Secretary, were called forth on 

 the occasion of his quitting England for a time, to fill the im- 

 portant office of Colonial Secretary in New South Wales. 



ASTnONOMICAL SOCIETY. 



May 153. — The reading of Mr. Henry Atkinson's elaborate 

 communication on the subject of Refraction was concluded. 

 In the coui'se of this paper the author has collected and ar- 

 ranged a great variety of meteorological observations, made in 

 different seasons, and at different parts of the world, for the 

 purpose of enabling him to ascertain the mean temperature at 

 the equator and in different latitudes, as well as the law of 

 variation in the temperature of the air at different heights 

 above the level of the sea. From these data he has deduced 

 formulae, by tlie use of which the computed and observed mean 

 temperatures in any given place, or at any given height, ap- 

 pear to agree in a remarkable manner. His next inquiry is, 

 to ascertain the law by which the height and the elasticity of 

 the air is connected ; and also the relation between the elasti- 

 city and density at any given height. These inquiries are 

 guided by observations and experiments that have been made 

 and pubhshed by men of eminence in this department of 

 science. The reasoning and deductions are founded on ac- 

 knowledged facts; and hypothesis furnishes no part of the data 

 from which the tables, founded on these investigations, are 

 computed. Astronomical observations supply no portion of the 

 materials which form the basis of the computations, but all 

 the results are obtained by formulae depending on optical j)rin- 

 ciples; so that the near agreement of the quantities contained 

 in these Uibles (when properly collected) with those given by 

 the most approved modern tables of refraction }iroves that the 

 various formuUe by which these quantities were obtained are 

 founded in nature, as well as happily applied. The atmo- 

 sphere is divided into a variety of strata, and each stratum has 

 its appropriate lurniula lt)r determining its share of mean re- 

 fraction ; 



