1865.] President's Address. 509 



Extract from the Minutes of a Meeting of the Board of Visitors to the 

 Observatories, held 15 July 1862. 



" The attention of the Board having been drawn to the following cir- 

 cumstances 



"I. That, as long since as 1849 the facts brought to light by Lord 

 Rosse's Telescope were judged by the Royal Society of London and the 

 British Association for the Advancement of Science to be so important as 

 to justify them in making an urgent appeal to the British Government for 

 the erection, at some suitable place in south latitude, of a telescope for the 

 examination of the multiple stars and the nebulae of the Southern Hemi- 

 sphere, having greater optical power than that used by Sir John Herschel 

 at the Cape of Good Hope ; which appeal there is little doubt would have 

 been successful but for the Russian war and the consequent expenditure ; 



" II. That, since that time, Lord Rosse reports that he has discovered 

 systematic changes in some of the most important northern nebulae ; 



" III. That the interest and scientific importance of the solution of the 

 problem of their physical structure, as well as the probability of its accom- 

 plishment, are thus greatly increased ; 



" IV. That some of the most important nebulae, and those presenting 

 the greatest variety of physical features in close proximity, can be observed 

 only in places having a considerable southern latitude ; 



" V. That the geographical position and clear atmosphere of Melbourne 

 render it peculiarly suitable for this work, and that the arrangements 

 already made for the establishment of an Astronomical Observatory on a 

 permanent footing offer great facilities for carrying it on ; 



" VI. That, independently of the especial object to which such telescope 

 would be applied, an Astronomical Observatory cannot be considered com- 

 plete without an equatorially mounted telescope of large optical power : 



" It was Resolved, 



" 1st. That, in the opinion of the Board, the establishment of such a tele- 

 scope in Melbourne would materially promote the advancement of science. 



"2nd. That, before applying to the Colonial Government for any pecu- 

 niary grant in aid of this object, His Excellency the Governor be requested 

 to obtain, through the Secretary of State for the Colonies, an expression of 

 opinion from scientific men in England as to the importance of the results 

 to be expected from it, the most suitable construction of telescope for the 

 purpose, both as to the optical part and the mounting, its probable cost, 

 and the time requisite for its completion." 



On the receipt of this communication from the Colonial Office, a corre- 

 spondence ensued, passing through myself as President of the Royal Society, 

 consisting of twenty-three letters, the writers being Mr. Lassell, Sir John 

 Herschel, the Earl of Rosse, Dr. Robinson, Mr. Grubb, and Mr. De la Rue, 

 which was printed for private circulation amongst the Fellows of the Royal 

 Society. The correspondence led to and terminated in the following Report 



2a2 



