Minutes of Proceedings. 339 



In connexion with this subject, I may add, that the separation of 

 Science and Letters in the publication of our Proceedings and Transac- 

 tions, which has existed too long, is now to cease ; and that for the 

 future, although each Paper in the Transactions may be obtained 

 separately, each volume will contain all that the Academy considers 

 most valuable in both Letters and Science, and that our Proceedings 

 will show, as they ought, the work done at each of our meetings. 



Sir Samuel Perguson represented this Academy at the Tercentenary 

 of the University of Edinburgh in 1884, on which occasion he received 

 the Honorary Degree of ll.d. from that University. 



"When, in the year 1883, the Lords of the Treasury agreed to the 

 transfer to the Academy of the Irish portion of the Ashburnham mss., 

 Sir Samuel proceeded to London, and, in conference with Dr. Bond, 

 Principal Librarian of the British Museum, selected the mss. for 

 transfer, and obtained for the Academy a larger portion of them than 

 would otherwise, most probably, have been given. 



At the time of the celebration of the Centenary of the Academy 

 (1886), Sir Samuel was prevented by failing health from taking an active 

 part in it, but by frequent letters and otherwise showed undiminished 

 interest in all its proceedings. On that occasion Dr. Ingram took his 

 place, as Senior Yice-President, and gave such an exhaustive resume 

 of the work of the Academy, from its commencement, as saves me, 

 on the present occasion, from dwelling upon any part of our past 

 history, except that of the last five years, during which our late 

 President directed our meetings and policy with such marked success. 



In Geometry and Pure Mathematics the Academy has held its 

 wonted place, the more important contributions being those of Dr. 

 Casey on the Harmonic Hexagon of a Triangle, and of Mr. M'Cay on 

 Three Circles related to a Triangle. 



In Mixed Mathematics we have had a series of contributions by 

 Sir Hobert Ball on the Theory of Screws and on the Theory of Rigid 

 Bodies ; terminating in a very remarkable Paper on the relations of 

 Dynamics and Modern Geometry, which is destined to mark an epoch 

 in modern Mixed Matliematics. 



Our Astronomical Papers, although few in number, are very 

 valuable, and I have myself endeavoured to maintain the reputation 

 in Scientific Meteorology earned for this Academy by the late Provost 

 Lloyd by completing the discussion of the hourly observations of 



