3 2 Annals of the Philosophical Club 



murderous societies, and it was justly said of him when he died at 

 Monkstown on Oct. 3ist, 1867, " Estimable in all the relations of 

 life, he pursued, without pretension or self -seeking, the combined 

 careers of a philosopher, a patriot, and a philanthropist." 



SIR JOHN WROTTESLEY, SECOND BARON WROTTESLEY, was born 

 at Wrottesley Hall, Staffordshire, on Aug. 5th, 1798, took the B.A. 

 degree from Christ Church, Oxford, and was called to the Bar. 

 Having built an astronomical observatory at Blackheath, he paid 

 especial attention to certain small fixed stars, and published, through 

 the Royal Astronomical Society, a catalogue of the right ascensions 

 of 1318, for which he received their gold medal in 1839. In 1841 

 he was elected F.R.S., and, on the death of his father in the same 

 year, transferred his observatory to Wrottesley, with the addition 

 of a large equatorial telescope. He was President of the Royal 

 Society from 1854 to 1857, and of the British Association in 1860, 

 dying at Wrottesley on Oct. 27th, 1867. 



1850. A statement by Mr. Bell, at the meeting on 

 Jan. 24th, that the Government had at the present time 

 two or three large vacant houses, which possibly might 

 be obtained for the use of scientific societies, raised the 

 question of bringing these into juxtaposition, and the 

 Committee appointed on June 22nd, 1848, was requested to 

 meet, to take such action as seemed desirable, and to 

 report the results to the Club. 



The union of scientific societies was again discussed on 

 Feb. 28th, Sir H. T. de la Beche mentioning the beneficial 

 results of bringing together men of science at the meetings 

 of the British Association, and pointing out how desirable 

 occasional meetings of that kind would be in London. Dr. 

 Playfair remarked that as a large building would have 

 to be constructed for the Exhibition of 1851, part of it might 

 be of a more permanent character, and be apportioned 

 to scientific societies, and yet might again be used for 

 a general exhibition, if another were held. Sir P. Grey 

 Egerton suggested that scientific societies in London 

 should occasionally hold evening joint meetings in order 

 to bring about a greater amalgamation of views. 



At the meeting on March 28th, Sir H. T. de la Beche, on 

 behalf of a Committee appointed Feb. 28th, said its mem- 

 bers had consulted several men of science, most of whom 



