347 



intervention of the Hon. Charles Augustus Murray, Her Majesty's 

 late Consul- General in Egypt, submitted to the Viceroy, and met with 

 the most ready acceptance. He gave directions to his government 

 that every assistance should be afforded for carrying on the proposed 

 researches ; he appointed an able engineer officer high in his service, 

 M. Hekekyan Bey, to conduct them, and ordered that the whole 

 expense should be defrayed by his government. Such enlightened 

 liberality on the part of His Highness Abbas Pacha justly entitles 

 him to the gratitude of all cultivators of science. 



The other researches alluded to on the last occasion are proceeding 

 satisfactorily, but there is nothing which seems to call for especial 

 notice at present ; I will therefore at once proceed to give some 

 account of the steps which have been taken by your Council for the 

 advancement of science in another direction. 



In the history of individual sciences we perceive there have been 

 always successive periods of activity and repose. In Astronomy, for 

 many years we have had a period of activity. Physical Astronomy 

 has achieved perhaps its greatest triumph within the last few years 

 in the discovery of Neptune ; and the discovery of the numerous 

 Asteroids and Comets is evidence that Practical Astronomy has kept 

 pace with it. Within the same period the nebulous contents of the 

 Southern Hemisphere have for the first time been made known to us ; 

 w^e have now a catalogue of the highest excellence, with an ample 

 guarantee for its accuracy in the zeal, ability, and experience of Sir 

 John Herschel. 



That catalogue will be a record for future ages, leading probably 

 to the detection of change in the wonderful objects revealed by the 

 telescope, and so giving a clue to the mysterious laws which rule 

 the remote universe. 



The Cape observations were not long before the world when some 

 astronomers expressed a desire that it should not be left to posterity 

 to turn them to account, but that some effort should be made to 

 employ them in the service of the present generation. It was sug- 

 gested, that with such an admirable working list, much might be ef- 

 fected in a short time. A comparison of the Northern and Southern cata- 

 logues had led many to believe that the same instrument had effected 

 more in the Southern than in the Northern Hemisphere. Whether 

 that had been owing to a better atmosphere, or whether the objects 

 themselves were more remarkable, in either case it was reasonable 

 to expect that an instrument of great power would do more in a 

 well-selected situation in the Southern Hemisphere than in these 

 islands ; and on that account alone there seemed to be grounds for 

 a well-founded hope that interesting discoveries would be made ; 

 but there were other grounds. 



In the present state of Nebular Astronomy, the best prospect we 

 have of extending our knowledge, seems to be by carefully sketching 

 and measuring every object sufficiently within reach of our instru- 

 ments, to make details discernible. It is highly probable that the 

 objects we see are presented to us in every variety of position, that 

 they often differ in form merely because we see them in a different 



