Royal Institution of Great Britain. 69 



The next paper read consisted of Observations made at theCalton 

 Hill Observatory, Edinburgh, (lat. 5.5° 57' 20" N. ; long. 12"' 44^ 

 west of Greenwich) : — 1st, Of transits of the moon and moon-cul- 

 minating stars, in 1828, by Mr. Thomas Henderson; 2d, Of occul- 

 tations of stars by the moon, by Mr. John Adie. The longitude 

 of Edinburgh west of Greenwich, computed by Mr. Henderson, 

 from eleven corresponding observations of the first limb and three 

 of the second limb, is 12'" 40'-55. 



A paper was also read, containing the places of Encke's comet, 

 as reduced from thirty observations made by Mr. Dunlop, between 

 October 26 and December 25, 1828, at Sir Thomas Brisbane's Ob- 

 servatory, Makerstoun, Roxburghshire. 



There was, lastly, read a paper " On preserving the pivots of 

 astronomical instruments ;" by Lieutenant Peter Lecount, R.N. As 

 the pivots of astronomical instruments are generally of steel, work- 

 ing in brass sockets, and are of necessity kept oiled, it would seem 

 that when the oil becomes acid the galvanic arrangement is formed, 

 and the steel pivot is decomposed and not the brass. Mr. L. there- 

 fore recommends that the pivots and sockets should be of the same 

 metal, or, if this be inconvenient, that the pivots should be cleaned 

 and fresh oil applied before acidity occurs, especially in the transit 

 instrument. 



April 10. — A paper was read, entitled "A catalogue of 195 double 

 stars, taken from the Histoire Celeste, and reduced to Jan. 1, 1800;" 

 by M. Berenger Labaume, of Marseilles. 



A paper was also read, " On observing the eclipses of Jupiter's 

 satellites at sea;" by Lieutenant Peter Lecount, R.N. 



The next paper read contained astronomical observations made 

 at the Observatory of the Imperial University of Wilna, by Pro- 

 fessor Slawinski, in the year 1828. 



These observations are of Jupiter, Mars, and Uranus, at opposi- 

 tion, and of Mars at quadrature. 



Lastly, there was read a portion of a paper by Mr. Sheepshanks, 

 to explain the method of interpolation given by Da Rocha, and em- 

 ployed by him in computing and correcting places of the moon in 

 the Ephemerides of Coimbra, and on the further application of this 

 method to astronomical computations. 



FRIDAY-EVENING PROCEEDINGS AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION 

 OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



May 1st. — The Lecture-room subject was on the audible proper- 

 ties of speech, and on the original pronunciation of the classical 

 languages ; particularly in reference to their long lost accent, 'i'he 

 investigation was entered into by Mr. Smart, who reasoning upon 

 the general nature of rhythm, emphasis, and accent in the various 

 modern languages and also in the ancient ones, gave his opinion, sup- 

 ported by practical illustrations, of the manner in which the accent 

 of the latter was originally determined. 



Presents and illustrations of Eastern manufactures were upon the 

 library table. 



May 



