112 



and Professor Frazer, on Major Graham's communication pre- 

 sented on the 16th of August, and entitled "Observations on 

 the Magnetic Dip, made at several positions, chiefly on the 

 South-western and North-eastern frontiers of the United States, 

 and of the Magnetic Declination at two points on the River 

 Sabine, in 1840," reported in favour of the publication of the 

 same, in an abridged form, in the Transactions of the Society, 

 but as the report was not accompanied by such abridgment, as 

 required by the laws of the Society, the paper was recom- 

 mitted. 



A communication was read from Professor Loomis, entitled 

 "Astronomical Observations made at Hudson Observatory. 

 Lat. 41° 14 ' 42 '6 North, and Longitude 5h. 25m. 39s. 5 West, 

 Third Series," which was referred to a Committee, consisting 

 of Mr. Walker, Dr. Patterson, and Professor Kendall. 



A letter from Professor Alexander, of Princeton, to Mr. 

 Walker, dated College of New Jersey, Nov. 13th, 1844, was 

 read, which contained a notice of some Astronomical Observa- 

 tions communicated to him by M, Bessel, of Konigsberg, in 

 regard to the proper motions of Procyon in Declination, and 

 of Sirius in Right Ascension. 



" One of the latest results (says M. Bessel), which have offered them- 

 selves to me, appears to be a very important one for Practical Astro- 

 nomy. I have been enabled by my own observations made during 

 the last thirty years, and also by those made at other Observatories 

 since 1750, to establish as an indubitable fact, that the proper motions 

 of Procyon in Declination, and of Sirius in Right Ascension, are not 

 proportional to time. The difference being very sensible, it will no 

 longer be permitted to suppose the places of these stars known for 

 any time by their observations made at two epochs. 



" The fact of a variable proper motion seems to indicate, that stars, 

 which are subject to it, are parts of comparatively small systems, 

 such as are double stars. The phenomenon cannot be explained by 

 attraction, if the distance of the attracting mass is not very small in 

 proportion to the distance of the star from the Sun. 



A Memoir upon " this interesting matter is now printing in the 

 Astronomische Nachrichten." 



M. Bessel pays a tribute to the zeal with which Astronomy 



