296 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies, [AtRlti 



for facilitating the computation of annual tables of the apparent 

 places of 46 principal fixed stars, computed by order of the 

 Council ; to which is prefixed a statement by the Foreign 

 Secretary of the formulae employed, and the elements adopted 

 in their construction. These tables, with their introduction, 

 occupy 76 pages, 



" The tables of precession, aberration, and nutation, serving 

 to determine the apparent places of about 3000 principal fixed 

 stars, to which allusion was made in the last Report of the Coun- 

 cil, have been completed to 180° of AR, and written out for the 

 press. The remainder are in a state of considerable forward- 

 ness. These tables, together with an ample introductory paper 

 on their construction and use, by the President of this Society, 

 will constitute an appendix to the second volume of the Memoirs. 



" Amongst the numerous communications which have been 

 made from the associates of this Society, the Council may 

 specify a very interesting and elaborate paper, forwarded to the 

 Foreign Secretary by M. Plana, on some important inquiries in 

 physical astronomy, which will be found in the second part of 

 the second volume. The President also has received a letter 

 from M. Bessel, requesting to know whether the Astronomical 

 Society would patronize and promote a plan, which he had sug- 

 gested, for making detached charts of the heavens. The Presi- 

 dent was requested by the Council to assure M. Bessel that the 

 Astronomical Society would doubtless promote so laudable and 

 useful a measure, as much as lay in their power. That active 

 and indefatigable astronomer, pursuant to his general plan, now 

 regularly observes all the smaller stars in zones, agreeably to the 

 method suggested and practised by the late Rev. F. Wollaston. 

 He has already completed the zones within 15° on each side of 

 the equator ; and in that space has observed upwards of 30,000 

 stars. The observations are annually published by.M. Bessel, 

 with the other observations made at the Royal Observatory at 

 Konigsberg. When they are reduced (as there is great reason 

 to hope they will be), they will constitute a most valuable acces- 

 sion to the stores of astronomy. 



" Others of the associates have especially distinguished them- 

 selves, and have forwarded to this Society some very interesting 

 communications, as the successive parts and volumes of the 

 Memoirs will evince. In alluding to these distinguished 

 characters, your Council cannot avoid noticing the indefatigable 

 labours of M. Schumacher, Professor of Astronomy at Copen- 

 hagen. His Astrouomische Nachrichten, or Astronomical News- 

 paper, has considerably facilitated the intercourse between 

 astronomers in every part of the world ; serving to record the 

 observations of various interesting phsenomena, as well as to 

 draw the attention of observers to other phaenomena about to 

 appear. He has also published several compendious collections 



