146 Royal Astronomical Society. 



the more sterling qualities of his character. For many years past, 

 however, he had entered but little into society. His almost constant 

 residence, for nearly half a century, was Oxford ; and there he has 

 left a large circle of friends, who had abundant opportunities of 

 knowing his virtues, and who will long regret his removal. In him 

 the University has lost a most devoted son ; and it is now a conso- 

 lation to remember that he was ever foremost among those whom she 

 delighted to honour. 



" Mr. James Epps was appointed Assistant- Secretary of this 

 Society in 1830, and during the eight years he officiated in that ca- 

 pacity, he not only merited the approbation of the Council by the 

 ability and zeal with which he discharged the duties of his office, 

 but also rendered himself acceptable to the Fellows at large by his 

 uniform urbanity, his cheerful disposition, and his readiness to ■ 

 obhge on all occasions. Although he had not the advantages of a 

 regular education, and the occupations of his early life left but little 

 leisure for the cultivation of the sciences, he had acquired, never- 

 theless, very considerable knowledge both of theoretical and practi- 

 cal astronomy ; and he had also much skill and experience in astro- 

 nomical computation. He was the author of several papers printed 

 in our Memoirs ; namely, one in the fourth volume, accompanied by 

 some useful tables for computing the azimuthal deviations of a 

 transit instrument from the observed passages of two stars through 

 the vertical it describes ; another, in the same volume, on the errors 

 of the same instrument occasioned by the inclination of the axis to 

 the horizon ; one, in the sixth volume, on the method of ascertaining 

 the comparative rates of chronometers ; and one, in the ninth vo- 

 lume, on the investigation of formulae for reducing observations 

 made with the annular micrometer. He Ukewise recently contributed 

 another paper on the errors that may be produced in determining 

 differences of longitude by observations of moon-culminating stars, 

 when there are no corresponding observations ; accompanied by a 

 table of results deduced from comparisons of such observations, with 

 the places given in the ' Nautical Almanac,' which has been ordered 

 by the Council to be printed in the forthcoming volume. 



" In 1838, Mr. Epps resigned his office in the Society, and re- 

 moved to Hartwell to superintend the private observatory of our 

 excellent Treasurer, Dr. Lee, For this appointment he was emi- 

 nently well qualified. He entered on its duties with his usual 

 ardour ; thus meriting the friendship and esteem of his patron, 

 which he continued to enjoy without interruption to the hour of his 

 death. On his removal to Hartwell, he was elected a Fellow of 

 this Society. 



" Mr. Epps was a man of varied accomplishments and extensive 

 general information ; and knew well how to turn theoretical know- 

 ledge to practical account. He was born in 1773, of humble but 

 respectable parents residing in Kent ; and died at Hartwell on the 

 10th of August last, regretted by all who knew him. 



" In the Report of the Council to the Society in the year 1838, 

 it was stated that the pendulum observations made by the late 



