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the globe. This expedition, undertaken by the Government in a 

 great degree on the recommendation of the Royal Society, has re- 

 turned after almost entire success. 1 trust that the account of this 

 most interesting voyage will be given to the public by its gallant 

 commander, who has approached to both limits of the world. A 

 portion of its valuable scientific details has been already given to 

 our Society ; and the magnetic observations made by Captain Ross 

 and his officers, with so much assiduity and ability, will be the 

 enduring monument of their fame, as long as industry and science 

 are held in honour by mankind. The magnetic maps of the South 

 Polar regions will be a result which all philosophers must hail with 

 delight, while the geographer will rejoice in the advancement of our 

 knowledge so far to the southward of all former navigation, and in 

 our acquaintance with a new polar volcano, compared to which 

 Hecla sinks into insignificance. 



It is a great addition to our pleasure on this occasion, that so few 

 casualties have happened during the three years' absence of Captain 

 Ross and Captain Crozier from England, and that no officer or sailor 

 has been a victim to disease, except one seaman who died on the 

 homeward passage. This, when we reflect on the length of time to 

 which the expedition extended, and the severity of the climate that 

 it had to face, is no small tribute to the care of the commander of the 

 two vessels employed, and the skill of the surgeon, to whom the 

 health of those on board was committed. When we advert to the 

 dangers that the vessels were exposed to, from the icy barriers of these 

 new-found regions of the earth, we cannot be sufficiently grateful 

 to Divine Providence for having preserved lives so valuable to their 

 country, and so dear to every lover of science. 



During the last year the Society has lost few of its members. 

 Only one of its foreign ornaments has it lost, M. Bouvard, a distin- 

 guished astronomer. The number of those who contribute to our 

 Transactions is not at all lessened. We have, however, to lament 

 the death of an illustrious Prince, who for several years presided 

 over our body, and whose regard for us remained undiminished to 

 the last. On this occasion we felt it our duty to lay before the 

 throne the expression of our respectful condolence with our Royal 

 Patroness, on the death of her illustrious uncle ; and we also sus- 

 pended our Meetings, to mark our sense of the loss that we, as 

 well as the public, had sustained. 



The Council, in pursuance of its duty, has awarded the Royal 

 Medals to Professor Forbes of Edinburgh and Professor Wheat- 

 stone of King's College, and the Copley Medal to Professor Dumas. 

 I regret extremely that I cannot bestow the latter on our illustrious 

 colleague in person. His presence to-day would be truly gratifying 

 to us all. I still more regret the absence of Mr. Forbes, as it is 

 owing to ill health that he is still on the continent. I must there- 

 fore request Mr. Christie to transmit the Medal to his friend. 



Mr. Christie, 



In the absence of Professor Forbes, I must request you to receive 



