140 



Anniversary Meeting. 



[Nov. 30, 



account, resting on the observations of Capt. Tanner and Mr. Kero Laxu- 

 man, who were of his party, is their streaked character. This had been 

 noticed before, in the eclipse of 1860. Mr. Warren De La Sue, in speak- 

 ing of the prominences, expressly mentions their structure; and M. Cha- 

 cornac, who devoted himself to this object, has given a long description 

 of their appearance*, which, however, is a little difficult to follow for 

 want of a figure. The strong actinic power, the streaked character, and 

 the bright-line spectrum of the prominences seem certainly to accord very 

 well with the hypothesis in which they are regarded as gigantic aurorse — 

 a view, however, which may be rendered less probable by the apparently 

 general prevalence over the sun's surface of a lower stratum of similar 

 nature, of which the prominences are merely elevated portions. 



The great Melbourne Telescope was despatched to its destination in an 

 Australian packet ('The Empress of the Seas'), which sailed from Liver- 

 pool on the 18th of July last ; and M. Le Sueur proceeded overland to 

 await its arrival. The micrometer and spectroscope which are to follow 

 are quite ready, and the photographic apparatus is also nearly ready, to be 

 despatched to Melbourne. 



In June last the President and Council received from Dr. Carpenter and 

 Professor Wyville Thomson letters strongly recommending that the Zoo- 

 logy of the Deep Sea, especially in the North Atlantic Ocean, should be 

 more thoroughly and systematically examined than has hitherto been ac- 

 complished, and requesting the intervention of the Royal Society with the 

 Admiralty for the purpose of obtaining the services of a vessel, with proper 

 means and appliances for deep-sea sounding and dredging, to carry on a 

 systematic research, in the seas immediately north of onr own island, for 

 a month or six weeks in the approaching autumn — and tendering their 

 own services to accompany the vessel. 



"With the thoroughly efficient aid of the Hydrographer, Capt. Richards, 

 R.N., the * Lightning,' surveying-ship, Staff-Commander May, was selected 

 and equipped expressly for this service ; and Dr. Carpenter and Professor 

 Thomson embarked in her on the 10th of August, at Stornoway. After 

 examining the seas between Scotland and the Paroe Islands, the ' Light- 

 ning ' returned on the 9th of September to Stornoway, to land Professor 

 Thomson (whose presence was required elsewhere), and sailed again (this 

 time accompanied by Dr. Carpenter only) for a second, more westerly 

 cruise, which lasted until the 26th of September. 



A preliminary report of the results has been received from Dr. Car- 

 penter, and will be read to the Society at an early evening meeting in the 

 present session ; I will only venture to anticipate the contents of this 

 ^ery valuable report so far as to say that it will be found of very 

 high interest both in respect to the temperature of the sea at great 

 * Le Verrier's 'Bulletin' for Sept 4-8, 1860. 



