President's Address. 305 



from My Lords of the Admiralty, who directed H.M.S. " Penguin " 

 to carry the observers from Sydney, N.S.W., to Funafuti, the seat of 

 the boring, and to render the Expedition all possible help during the 

 whole of the operations. T desire to express on behalf of the Society 

 our recognition of this renewed token of the willingness of My Lords 

 of the Admiralty to further scientific inquiry. Though the full 

 Report of the Expedition has not yet reached the Council, informa- 

 tion has been received fco the effect that the boring operations had to 

 be suspended when a depth of only 75 feet had been reached ; a 

 layer of sand and boulders presenting obstacles which the experts 

 employed were unable to overcome. It js much to be regretted that 

 an undertaking, which promised scientific results of very great value 

 has thus so far failed. 



The appeals of the Council to H.M. Minister for Foreign Affairs 

 and to My Lords of the Admiralty for assistance to the Eclipse 

 Expeditions met with most cordial and effective response, for which 

 -we would express our gratitude. We also desire to acknowledge the 

 courtesy shown and help afforded to the observing parties in 

 Norway and Japan by the respective Governments of those countries, 

 and to record our high appreciation of the enthusiastic and effective 

 aid given to those under the direction of Mr. Norman Lockyer, at 

 Vadso, by Captain King Hall and the Officers and crew of H.M.S. 

 " Volage " ; to Dr. Common, also in Norway, by Commodore Atkin- 

 son, of H.M.S. " Active " ; to the Astronomer Royal's party, in Japan, 

 by the Officers of H.M.S. " Humber," " Pique," and " Linnet," kindly 

 detached by Admiral Sir A. Buller to convey the various members of 

 the expedition to and from Yezo, and to aid them during the observa- 

 tions. 



Both in Norway and in Japan unfavourable weather rendered to a 

 large extent nugatory the elaborate preparations which had been 

 made for observing the eclipse. But British astronomy was 

 splendidly saved from failure on this important occasion by the 

 munificence and public spirit of Sir George Baden Powell, who fitted 

 up, at his own expense, and accompanied an expedition in his yacht 

 " Otaria " to Novaya Zemlya. The instruments employed were pro- 

 vided by our Fellows, Mr. Lockyer and Mr. Stone, of the Radcliffe 

 Observatory, Oxford; and the observations were entrusted to 

 Mr. Shackleton, one of the computers employed by the Solar Physics 

 Committee. In brilliant weather photographic observations were 

 made, which promise to yield novel results of a highly important 

 character. 



At the request of the President of the Board of Trade the Council 

 nominated, in March, Professors Kennedy and Roberts- Austen as 

 two members of a Committee to investigate the loss of strength in 

 steel rails. So far as I am aware, the Committee has not yet made 



