Royal Astronomical Society. 301 
Captain William Tucker, R.N. was introduced to the Society by 
his uncle, the late Mr. Frend, of whom an account appears in the 
last annual Report. He perished in November last, in the 48th year 
of his age, on the wreck of the unfortunate East Indiaman Reliance, 
which was lost off Boulogne. The circumstances of his death and 
the devotion of his last moments, as narrated by survivors, to the 
performance of an act of humanity, created the strongest public 
sympathy. He had been almost all his life in active service, and 
particularly in cruising against the slave-trade, in which he had 
been remarkably successful ; and he gained his commander’s com- 
mission by a daring and prosperous attack upon a slaver of twice 
his force. He had been, previously to his death, in command of 
the Iris frigate, and senior officer on the Cape Coast station, and 
the failure of his health, which obliged him to return to England in 
a merchant-vessel, led to his unfortunate catastrophe. 
Commander Michael Atwell Slater, R.N., was an officer who 
had gained distinguished reputation in the scientific branch of his 
profession; and was well known to many members of this Society 
for his zeal in the extensive surveys in which he was occasionally 
engaged. It was in one of these useful labours that he was unfor- 
tunately cut off in the prime of life, on the 2nd of February in last 
year, by falling into the sea over the cliff called Holburn Head, on 
the eastern extremity of Scotland. 
Mr. Innes of Aberdeen was well known to astronomers as a 
zealous calculator of eclipses, occultations, and tides; which occu- 
pied a considerable portion of his time. He was brought up as a 
watch and clock-maker: and although his professional gains were 
but small, yet by living very economically, he was enabled to col- 
lect together a valuable collection of books, which he has left 
behind him. He was a man of very mild temper and unassuming 
manners ; and, after a very slow decay of health, died on the 22nd 
of May, 1842. 
The Council feel sure of the approbation of the Society at large 
in the award of a Gold Medal to Mr. Baily, for his persevering 
and skilful management of, and complete success in, the repetition 
of the Cavendish experiment. The President has undertaken to 
explain in detail the grounds of this resolution, and to state to the 
meeting the more than usual obligation under which the Society 
has been laid by Mr. Baily’s patient and sagacious proceedings. 
The publication of the 14th volume of the Memoirs, which is wholly 
devoted to an account of this experiment, renders any description, 
even of its general features, unnecessary in this place; but the 
Council cannot here refuse themselves the pleasure of recording 
their opinion, that in no instance whatever, since the foundation of 
the Society, has its medal been more worthily won, whether the 
result be looked at with respect to the skill and industry by which 
it was attained, or to the complete sufficiency of the Memoir in 
which it is promulgated. 
