PROVISIONAL REPORTS AND NOTICES. 32? 



Report by the Committee to the British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, appointed to superintend the Engraving of Skeleton 

 Maps for recording the Distribution of Plants and Animals. 

 Your Committee, to whom an additional grant of 251. was entrusted last 

 year for the above purpose, beg to report that as yet only a small part of 

 that grant has been applied, and they do not therefore require to draw for 

 any sum till next year, by which time they expect to see the maps, already 

 engraved, applied jorac&a% for carrying out the object in view. 



To explain why this has not been already done, they may state that Mr. 

 Brand (one of their number), to whom, as before, the execution of the design 

 was principally committed, and who last year had sent copies of the maps, 

 with documents illustrative of their application (as proposed by the Botanical 

 Society of Edinburgh), to various scientific gentlemen, whose opinion it was 

 thought desirable to obtain before circulating them more extensively, has 

 been since that time in communication with several of those gentlemen, 

 from whom he has received useful suggestions, although on a few points 

 their views do not entirely coincide. Effect has already been given to some 

 objections stated by them, and others have been removed by satisfactory ex- 

 planations ; so that now there are no important differences remaining. Mr. 

 Brand is thei-efore prepared immediately to recommence his labours, by re- 

 vising carefully the whole details, and making such improvements as the sug- 

 gestions transmitted to him and his own more mature opinions shall dictate. 

 When this revision shall have been completed, the maps, &c. will be again 

 laid before the other members of the Committee for their final sanction, and 

 thereafter it is proposed to transmit copies of the whole to scientific gentle- 

 men both at home and abroad, partly with the view of disseminating, as 

 Avidely as possible, a knowledge of the scheme, and partly to obtain further ob- 

 servations from competent parties, before any great progress has been made 

 in its application for the intended purposes. 



In the meantime a copy of the maps, and illustrative documents above 

 mentioned, as they now stand, are sent herewith, and a further impression of 

 both has been thrown off, and forwarded to Plymouth for distribution among 

 such members of the Association as may take an interest in this subject ; so 

 that the Committee hope soon to be prepared with a more particular state- 

 ment of their proceedings, as well as of the advantages which may be expected 

 to result from this design itself, so liberally encouraged by the Association. 



They therefore beg leave to propose that the grant, voted in September 

 last, be continued till next annual meeting. 



Robert Graham, Chairman of Committee. 

 Edinburgh, July 24, 1841. 



Report of the Committee for the Reduction of Lacaille's Stars in the 

 Caelum Australe Stelliferum. 



Your Committee have to report that the Observations are reduced, the 

 whole of the computations executed, and the arranged catalogue completed 

 and delivered to Mr. Baily, to be employed in the construction of the ex- 

 tended edition of the Catalogue of the Astronomical Society. The expense 

 has been much less than was anticipated. The exact sum will be reported 

 officially by the Treasurer; but after defraying the further expenses in- 

 curred for computation labour, 76/. 155., and somewhere about 3/. for postage 

 and stationery, a sum of about 100/. of the original grant will be found to 



