Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 231 



ROYAL ANNUAL GRANT TO SIR J. SOUTH FOR THE PROMOTION 

 OF ASTRONOMY. 



The following is from the Times newspaper of the 5th of August. 

 " Encouragement of Astronomy. — {From a Correspondent^) 

 " The recent honour conferred on Sir James South originated 

 with His late Majesty. It is well known amongst Sir James's imme- 

 diate acquaintance, that he contemplated a removal to France, 

 where he intended to transport his splendid collection of instru- 

 ments ; amongst which was his 20-feet achromatic telescope, which 

 has been the object of attraction amongst the curious and the 

 learned during the whole of the present year : and he had actually 

 written to the French Government, who nobly and generously 

 granted him free ingress and egress, without the payment of any 

 duty or even examination of his packages. 



" This intention being made known to His late Majesty, he was 

 graciously pleased to express the flattering and liberal sentiments 

 contained in the following letter, and which have been so hand- 

 somely confirmed by his royal Brother. This letter having been 

 forwarded to the French Government by Sir James South, accom- 

 panied with his reasons for declining his intended removal to France, 

 we are thereby enabled to obtain a copy of it : and we hail it as a 

 symptom of the return of those halcyon days when science was 

 honoured and protected by the Government of this country. 



" 'Whitehall, July 10, 1830. 

 " '- Dear Sir, — The demise of His late Majesty, and the extraor- 

 dinary press of public and parliamentary business, have compelled 

 me to defer a communication which I should otherwise have made 

 to you at an earlier period. 



" • Shortly before the death of the late King, His Majesty signified 

 to me his intention (if he should recover from the severe illness 

 by which he was then afflicted) of taking the first opportunity of 

 marking his high sense of your honourable and disinterested zeal 

 in the cause of science, and especially of your unwearied and suc- 

 cessful exertions to perfect and increase our knowledge of the po- 

 sition, distances, and relations of the heavenly bodies. 



" ' The King commands me to inform you, that he shall have great 

 satisfaction in confirming the intention of his lamented Brother, 

 and in bestowing some mark of royal favour upon one who has 

 rendered such signal service to practical navigators. 



" 'His Majesty desires, therefore, that you will attend at the levee 

 either on the 21st or 28th of this month; on which occasion 

 His Majesty proposes to confer upon you publicly* the honour of 

 knighthood. " ' I have the honour to be, dear Sir, 



" ' Your obedient and faithful servant, 



" ' James South, Esq., " ' Robert Peel.' 



Observatory, Kensington.' 



* " St. James's Palace, July 21. — The King was this day pleased to con- 

 fer the honour of knighthood upon James South, Esq. of the Observatory 

 at Kensington." — Gazette. 



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