454 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [June, 



teresting specimen of Burmese art, being an edict written upon 

 a varnished and highly-gilt leaf. 



ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 



April 14. — The following Address was delivered at a Special 

 General Meeting of the Astronomical Society of London, held 

 this day, on presenting the Gold Medals to J. F. W. Herschel, 

 Esq., J. South, Esq., and Professor Struve, by Francis Baily, 

 Esq., FRS. LS. & GS. MRIA., and President of the Society. 



The Members of the Astronomical Society are convened to- 

 gether this evening for the purpose of witnessing the distribu- 

 tion of the Medals, which have this year been awarded by the 

 Council, agreeably to the powers vested in them for that pur- 

 pose. The subject, which has called for this public expression 

 of their opinion and approbation, is that of Double Stay's; 

 which has been pursued with uncommon zeal and energy by 

 three distinguished members of your body. 



The history of this particular branch of astronomy is but of 

 recent date. For, it cannot be unknown to any of you that 

 this subject occupied a considerable portion of the time and 

 attention of our late illustrious President, Sir William Herschel ; 

 and that, in fact, it was he who first directed the attention of 

 astronomers to this important branch of the science; having 

 himself commenced and carried on, with great ability and dili- 

 gence, a minute survey of the heavens, for the express purpose 

 of detecting those almost imperceptible combinations of stars, 

 which had hitherto escaped the observation of ordinary 

 observers. 



Assisted by his own inventive genius, and the labour of his 

 own skilful and unerring hand, he contrived and brought to per- 

 fection telescopes of a size which may be truly tei'med gigantic, 

 and possessing powers of vision and penetration far superior to 

 any that had ever yet been used by astronomers : and with 

 which he made those astonishing and remarkable discoveries 

 that have filled the contemplative mind with wonder and ad- 

 miration. 



It did not escape the sagacity of this illustrious astronomer 

 that these important discoveries, which he was the first to dis- 

 close to the world, might be made conducive to the investiga- 

 tion of the parallax of the fixed stars : a subject which has, 

 from the earliest period, occupied the attention and curiosity of 

 astronomers. And it was, in fact, this consideration that first 

 led him to the pursuit of this important branch of astronomy : 

 but this object was soon lost sight of, in the singular and re- 

 markable pheenomena which he afterwards brought to light.* 



* Indeed the obvious use which might be made of such observations had occurred to 

 Galileo, who tirst suggested the idea that the apparent distance of two apparently con- 

 tiguous stars might perceptibly vary according to the position of the earth in its orbit. 

 But, his theory was founded on very imperfect and unsatisfactory data : and he himself 

 jaaade no progress iu the solution of this impoitaut problem. 



