46 



Anniversary Meeting. 



[Nov. 30, 



doubtless have observed, that the printing of the text and the execu- 

 tion of the plates are maintained at the same high standard as that 

 exhibited at the outset. 



Among other scientific publications of the year, I may mention the 

 third volume of Roscoe and Schorlemmer's work on Chemistry, 

 Mr. Balfour's work on Comparative Embryology, and Mr. Darwin's on 

 Vegetable Mould. 



In December last the Council authorised the loan of the " Philo- 

 sophical Transactions " from one of our complete sets, five volumes 

 at a time, to the Delegates of the Oxford University Press, for the 

 preparation of a Philological English Dictionary, under the editor- 

 ship of Dr. Murray. It is hoped that this loan will contribute to the 

 completeness of the work in respect of scientific terms. Forty-one 

 volumes have been already utilised in this way. 



Towards the close of last session a communication was received 

 from the India Office enclosing a copy of a report and memorandum, 

 on Pendulum Observations, by Major Herschel, and asking the advice 

 of the President and Council thereon. Subsequently there followed 

 another communication from the same office, enclosing a copy of a 

 letter from the same officer, with an extract from a letter to him from 

 Mr. Peirce of the United States Coast Survey. These documents 

 were referred to a Committee consisting of Sir George Airy, 

 Professor J. C. Adams, and Professor Stokes. 



The Report of that Committee was forwarded to the India Office ; 

 the following extracts from it contain those parts which refer to the 

 main scientific questions raised : — 



" The object in referring these documents to the Royal Society was 

 to assist the India Department in coming to a conclusion as to what, 

 if anything, might yet be required in order to render the pendulum 

 operations which have been carried out in connexion with the great 

 trigonometrical survey of India reasonably complete as an important 

 contribution towards the determination of gravity all over the earth. 



"At present the stations which have been directly connected with 

 the Indian stations are confined to Aden, Ismailia in Egypt, and 

 Kew ; and no one of these has been differentially connected with any 

 of the chains of stations that have hitherto been used in the deter- 

 mination in this way of the figure of the earth, though Kew is now a 

 station at w T hich an absolute determination has been made. We think 

 it would be a reasonable expectation on the part of the scientific 

 public that the Indian group of stations, which have already been 

 connected with Kew, should be differentially connected with at least 

 one chain of stations which are so connected with one another, and 

 which have been employed in the determination of the figure of the 

 earth. 



" We approve accordingly of the suggestion that gravity at Kew 



