20 president's address. 



of things brought forward, as in the individuality of the mode 

 by which they are treated. I propose therefore to confine my 

 remarks to-day, in this the second division of my address, to the 

 consideration of a few points connected with the mathematical 

 and observational sections of astronomy, which have attracted 

 considerable attention during recent years. 



The value of a scientific or technical education is gradually 

 becoming more and more acknowledged in most of our great 

 public schools, and there are very few of them which have not, 

 at the present time, some department devoted to the special 

 instruction of one or more branches of practical science. Even 

 astronomy, which is not usually considered to be a very 

 practical science, is now attracting considerable attention, and 

 I am glad to be able to state that one, at least, of our public 

 schools has founded an astronomical observatory, furnished with 

 excellent instruments. The Temple observatory at Eugby 

 School, built some years ago as a memorial to the present Bishop 

 of London, a former distinguished head master, has already 

 done good service towards the promotion of astronomy, and 

 several valuable contributions from it have been published in 

 the "Memoirs" of the Eoyal Astronomical Society, containing 

 catalogues of double stars and other observations made by some 

 of the masters and senior scholars, many of whom have taken 

 a great personal interest in the work. The successful formation 

 of a new astronomical society, under the name of " The British 

 Astronomical Association" also gives encouraging evidence of 

 the growing interest in the science among those who desire some 

 popular acquaintance with the great truths in astronomy. One of 

 its chief objects is the association of amateur observers, especially 

 the possessors of small telescopes, for mutual help in the 

 organisation of the work in different sections of astronomical 

 observations. I have no doubt that there are many in this 

 county who sympathize with the objects of this new association 

 in their endeavour to stimulate the study of the peculiar features 

 and movements of the heavenly bodies. But this cannot be 

 efl&ciently done without steady and continuous telescopic work 

 with fixed instruments, and I am rather surprised that there is 

 no public or private astronomical observatory of any pretension 

 in Devonshire and Cornwall, west of the Eousdon observatory, 

 near Lyme Eegis. 



