Astronomical Society. 67 



Dorset-street, Dec. 8, 1 828. 



My dear Sir, — Being in possession of a telescope which I hold in 

 great estimation, and being desirous that its good qualities should be 

 properly appreciated, and that it may become useful, I think I can- 

 not do better than present it to the President and Council of the 

 Astronomical Society of London. 



I annex a memorandum of my wishes in regard to the destina- 

 tion of the telescope, as well as to what regards its origin. 1 have 

 had it properly put in order by DoUond, and I now send it to you, 

 as President of the Society, to be held at the disposal of the Presi- 

 dent and Council. 



As I highly appreciate the honour of being a member of that 

 Society, so 1 heartily wish them success in the very interesting and 

 laudable object of their pursuits, and am, with sincere respect and 

 regard. Most truly yours, 



J. F. W. Herschel, Esq. V.P.R.S. W. H. Wollaston. 



President of the Astronomical Society of London. 



Memorandum alluded to in thejbregoing letter. 



This telescope is presented by Dr. Wollaston to the President 

 and Council of the Astronomical Society of London, in hopes 

 that they will not keep it useless, but lend it, or give it if they 

 think proper, to any industrious and useful member of the So- 

 ciety, he not being at the time a member of the Council. 



The telescope was made bj' Mr. Peter Dollond, in the year 1771 » 

 for the Rev. Francis Wollaston, F.R.S., who valuedit very highly. 

 Dr. Wollaston thinks that he has even improved it by screws 

 added for the concentric adjustment of the object-glass, as de- 

 scribed in the Phil. Trans, for 1822, p. 32. 



The injunction contained in this letter, to render the instrument 

 available for purposes of actual observation, has been complied with. 

 It has been placed in the hands of Mr. Maclear, of Biggleswade, a 

 member of the Society, for the purpose of enabling him to observe 

 a series of occultations, computed by himself, of Aldebaran by the 

 moon, and other similar phaenomena. 



Almost the last astronomical labour of Dr. Wollaston was a series 

 of observations of a peculiar photometrical nature, for determining 

 the relative brightness of the stars and of the sun. It has not yet 

 been made public ; but the results are such as to open new and 

 more magnihcent views of the constitution of the universe than even 

 any which had preceded them. 



Dr. Wollaston was born on the 6th of August, 1766, at East Dere- 

 ham. He became a Tancred fellow of Caius College, Cambridge, 

 shortly after taking his degree, and continued to reside there till 

 1789. He then removed to London for the improvement of his 

 medical knowledge, and continued the practice of physic till the end 

 of 1800, when an accession of fortune determined him to relinquish 

 a profession he never liked, and devote himself wholly to science. 

 It is from this period tliat we are to consider him as a public cha- 

 racter in science. As a Commissioner of Longitude, he was ever 



K 2 solicitous 



