4 Anniversary Meeting. [Dec. 1, 



assumption as to the action of two great magnets. On the merits of 

 Von Mohl, Eose, and Poulletier de Verneuil information will be given 

 by Officers of the Society, who can speak with greater accuracy than I 

 could assume for my own statements. 



The Council of the Society, and its various Committees (for disposal 

 of the Government Grant, for the Library, for management of the 

 Donation Fund, and of that appropriated to Scientific Eelief ), have been 

 working with their usual activity. The principal grant recommended 

 by the Government-Grant Committee, and sanctioned by the Council, 

 was for the construction of a Siderostat, an instrument frequently de- 

 sired, but of which the expense is too great to be borne by an individual . 

 It is believed, however, that the cost may now be materially reduced. 



In my Report of last year I alluded to the Catalogue of Scientific Papers, 

 completed to 1863, and in progress to 1873 ; perhaps the following sin- 

 gular instance of its value may be interesting to the Society. In settling 

 an international boundary, some years ago, reference w r as made to certain 

 astronomical determinations. The Government of the present day, on 

 taking steps for ascertaining the boundary so defined, were unable to 

 discover the official report of the astronomical observations. On the 

 application of the Government to me, I carefully examined the papers of 

 the Eoyal Observatory and those of the Board of Longitude ; but the 

 Eeport was not found. I then requested our Assistant Secretary, Mr. 

 White, to examine the papers of the Eoyal Society ; he was equally nu- 

 successful. It occurred, however, to Mr. "White to refer to the Catalogue of 

 Scientific Papers for the published works of the astronomer who was known 

 to have conducted the observations in question ; and there he discovered 

 the desired Eeport, published under circumstances of solemn authenticity 

 in a foreign periodical. It is not improbable that the pecuniary value 

 of this discovery may have many times exceeded the whole expense of 

 forming the Catalogue. 



The Council have not been engaged during the past year in any cor- 

 respondence with our own Government or with Foreign Bodies ; they 

 have, however, at the request of the President and Council of the Eoyal 

 Geographical Society, appointed a Committee to confer with a Com- 

 mittee of that Society, on the best methods of utilizing for Physical 

 Science any future Arctic Expedition. But the Council have not taken 

 any step in urging the proposal of such an Expedition on the attention of 

 Her Majesty's Government. 



The Official Scientific Commission, of which your Home Secretaries 

 and other Fellows of the Society are Members, have issued an important 

 Eeport on the means of making our great Universities more available for 

 the conduct of scientific investigation. Other proposals have been pub- 

 lished, by independent Fellows of the Society, for universal instruction 

 leading to physical investigation, and for the establishment of physica 

 servatories. 



