1865.] President's Address. 507 



then in process of organization, and with the sanction of the Governor, who 

 was President of the Board, Professor Wilson submitted to the considera- 

 tion of the Observatory Committee of the Philosophical Institute of Vic- 

 toria a scheme for the establishment at Melbourne of a reflecting telescope 

 of 4 feet aperture to carry out the objects which had been proposed by the 

 Royal Society and British Association, as already narrated. In this pro- 

 position Professor Wilson was warmly supported by Captain Kay, R.N., 

 F.R.S., one of the Board of Visitors, who had been for several years Super- 

 intendent of the Magnetical and Meteorological Observatory in the sister 

 colony of Tasmania. After discussions at several Meetings, a Memorial 

 was adopted and presented to the Chief Secretary of the Government, 

 adverting to the favourable condition of the finances of the colony, and 

 urging the establishment of such a telescope at Melbourne " as suited alike 

 to render an important service to science, and to redound highly to the 

 credit of the colony, both in Australia and in Europe." 



The favourable reception of this Memorial by the Government of Vic- 

 toria, and the proceedings which followed, will be best explained by the 

 following despatch from Sir Henry Barkly to the Duke of Newcastle, then 

 Secretary of State for the Colonies, transmitted to the Royal Society on 

 October 10, 1862, accompanied by the expression of His Grace's assurance 

 that " the Royal Society would do whatever may be in their power for 

 encouraging science in the colony of Victoria." 



Governor Sir H. Barkly to the Duke of Newcastle. 



(Copy.) 



Government Offices, Melbourne, 

 M* LORD DUKE, 23rd July, 1862. 



The Board of Visitors to the Melbourne Observatory, over which I have 

 the honour to preside, being of opinion that the project long entertained 

 of erecting in the Southern Hemisphere a telescope of much greater optical 

 power than that used by Sir John Herschel at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 would be materially advanced by an expression of interest and sympathy 

 on the part of scientific men in England, has requested me to bring the 

 subject under Your Grace's notice, with a view to its being submitted for 

 the Report of the Royal Society of London and the British Association for 

 the Advancement of Science. 



I have great pleasure in forwarding accordingly, with the approval of my 

 advisers, an extract from the Board's Minutes, together with the accom- 

 panying letter from its Honorary Secretary, Professor Wilson, in which 

 the reasons for this step are so fully set forth, and the advantages likely to 

 arise from obtaining a powerful instrument for this purpose so clearly 

 explained, as to leave nothing for me to add beyond earnestly soliciting 

 Your Grace's good offices in the matter. 



It will be observed that the pecuniary cooperation of the British 

 VOL, xiv. 2 Q 



