502 Anniversary Meeting. [Nov. 30, 



by the Government, and of a Report addressed to the Minister of the 

 Marine by M. Darondeau, entitled " Rapport a son Excellence le Ministre 

 de la Marine sur une Mission accomplie en Angleterre pour ctudier Ics 

 questions relatives a la regulation des Compas." The principal conclu- 

 sions of this Report in reference to the compass by which the ship's course 

 is to be directed, may be stated in a few words ; and I shall employ for 

 this purpose M. Darondeau's own expressions, as they are a remarkable 

 testimony to the value of the system adopted in the British Navy. 



" Etablir sur tous les batimens un ' Standard Compass,' ou compas de 

 relevement a poste fixe, qui ne serait pas corrige. Ce compas devrait ctre 

 assez eleve pour permettre de prendre les relevemens par dessus le bastin- 

 gage ; il devrait en outre etre place dans la position la plus favorable pour 

 n'etre soumis qu' a la force totale du navire, et non aux forces perturba- 

 trices provenant de pieces de fer isolees. Dans ce but on I'eieverait de 

 maniere a le soustraire a ces dernieres forces perturbatrices. 



" Ce compas ne serait jamais corrige" 



The italics are mine ; but the repetition of this last injunction is M. Da- 

 rondeau's own, and is emphasized by him by being made to occupy a line 

 by itself. 



M. Darondeau also recommends the employment in the French Marine 

 of compasses similar to the Admiralty compass of the British Navy, having 

 four needles attached to the card in the manner and for the purposes 

 originally suggested by Mr. Smith ; and he does not fail to urge on his 

 countrymen the indispensable duty of examining the deviations of the 

 Standard Compass by reference to the heavenly bodies, whenever the state 

 of the weather will permit. 



MR. SMITH, 



Receive this Medal which the Council has awarded you in testimony of 

 their high sense of the value of your researches on the magnetism of 

 ships. 



I trust that you will always regard it with a real pleasure, agreeing well 

 with the yet higher pleasure derived from the consciousness of the essen- 

 tial service your generous labours have rendered to the mariners of this 

 and all other maritime nations. 



I will venture on the personal expression of the high gratification which 

 my position in this chair allows me this day to enjoy in mine being the 

 hand which places this Medal in that of one who from his earliest youth 

 has been the object of my ever-increasing high esteem and warm friend- 

 ship. 



