THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 311 



tions of the invisible sky ; of stars that have never been seen 

 directly by the human eye, owing to their light being too feeble 

 to make an impression on the delicate organism of the retina, 

 even when assisted by the most powerful telescope in existence ; 

 and, what is more remarkable, of dark stars — stars which have 

 apparently died out, and whose presence can only be inferred 

 by their influence on the light and motion of their brilliant 

 companions. 



Astronomy has been, from the earliest period, one of the 

 most fascinating of the physical sciences, and when studied with 

 the object of obtaining a scientific acquaintance with the peculiar 

 features and movements of the heavenly bodies, the countless 

 luminaries of all shades of brilliancy, apparently daily revolving 

 round the earth, form ample materials for pleasure and study. 

 Astronomy may in truth be correctly termed the "sublime 

 science," when we behold the grandeur and illimitable harmony 

 prevailing in the mysterious movements of the members of the 

 stellar universe, constituting one of the most imposing spec- 

 tacles that nature offers to our observation. 



The romance of astronomy is always attractive to early 

 students of the stars, whether they be old or young. I have 

 often been complimented by them on the sublimity of my pro- 

 fession ; for I have been told, — what can be more serene and 

 beautiful to a contemplative mind, than the pleasure of con- 

 stantly spending the evening hours in observing the placid 

 beauty of the moon, the soft radiance of the planets with their 

 attendant satellites, and the glittering splendour of the evening 

 star. Alas ! how contrary all this imaginative science is to the 

 true nightly occupation of the astronomer. I fear that at such 

 times his mind is generally far too much engrossed in noting the 

 exact time of passage of the various objects over a series of fine 

 lines of spider's web, stretched across the field of view ; in the 

 readings of his circles and micrometers ; or in the necessary 

 manipulation of his telescope, to have much opportunity or 

 desire for sentimental reflections. In fact, most official astrono- 

 mers who have passed a fair portion of their lives sitting or 

 lying, night after night, on an observing chair on a frosty night, 

 either in the open air, or in a room with the roof thrown 



