ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 275 



might have had for their recommendation. Should I have mis- 1861. 

 represented, or rather under-represented, the Fellows to whom I Letter on 

 allude, the misrepresentation comes of their own fault. They n Ult Ji lr -f 

 had the power of stating the principles on which they acted to 

 the general meeting ; it pleased them to prefer the partial and 

 private canvass for their only mode of action, the paragraph 

 and its reason for their only statement of view. 



They succeeded, and I am convinced that one element of 

 their success was that modicum of adverse feeling towards the 

 Council, of the existence of which I had seen proofs. Their suc- 

 cess transfers the responsibility of their course of action to the 

 Society as a whole ; and thus, and thus only, does that course of 

 action become a legitimate object of my criticism. I maintain 

 and uphold the i-ndividual Fellow in his claim to propose a Presi- 

 dent on any criterion of superior fitness which he pleases. I will 

 support him, acting for himself, in the assertion of his right to 

 use the canvass, the newspaper, or anything which a civilised 

 man can have recourse to, in preference to placing his views 

 before the assembled Society. But when the Society adopts a 

 proposal, the result then becomes my affair, with its reasons, if 

 any be assigned ; or, failing such assignment, with the reasons 

 deduced by myself from circumstances. 



The power of organising opposition, recently and most 

 properly conceded by the Society to individuals, is one, the 

 corporate assent to any use of which should both be governed 

 and defended by reason. It was intended, as the Society itself 

 was intended, for the encouragement and promotion of Astronomy. 

 When employed and privately argued against a deliberate re- 

 commendation of the Council, it should not be sanctioned by 

 the collective Society except upon avowed grounds. I speak 

 of concerted plans, not of votes of individual Fellows, each 

 acting on his own judgment. If the existing system of ad- 

 ministration be not in harmony with the corporate feeling to an 

 extent which requires united action, it is expedient that the 

 Council should know the how and the why. This is reasonable, 

 because it will discourage and retard Astronomy, so far as the 

 Society can do it and it can do something if the Council and 

 the Society should take to working against each other in the 

 dark. Should the system continue, it is my fixed opinion that 

 the harmonious and useful body to which I have so long been 

 attached will go through a series of faction fights, compared to 

 which the recent matter is hardly worthy to be called a contest; 



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