428 Pr< codings of the British Association. 



them by any wants that remain, — can lie look on the gaps which are still 

 unfilled, even in the most rich and costly of those edifices (like the unfi- 

 nished window that we read of, in the palace of eastern story), without 

 longing- to see those wants supplied, that palace raised to a still more 

 complete perfection — without burning to draw forth all his own treasures 

 of thought, and to elaborate them all into one new and precious offering? 

 The volume containing the reports which were presented at the last 

 meeting of the Association has been published so very recently, that it 

 is, perhaps, scarcely yet in the hands of more than a few of the members ; 

 some notice of its contents may therefore be expected from me now, 

 though the notice which I can give must of necessity be brief and inade- 

 quate. 



[Professor Hamilton then gave a general review of the character and 

 merit of several Reports, but we do not think it necessary to follow him, 

 as the volume is now published. In conclusion, he observed] — 



The other contents of the volume are accounts of researches undertaken 

 at the request of the Association. Notices in answers to queries and re- 

 commendations of the same body, and miscellaneous communications. 

 Of these, it is of course impossible to speak now ; your time would not 

 permit it. Yet perhaps I ought not to pass over the mention of one par- 

 ticular recommendation which has happened to become the subject of 

 remarks elsewhere — I mean that recommendation which advised an ap- 

 plication to the Lords of the Treasury for a grant of money, to be used in 

 the reduction of certain Greenwich observations, the result of which re- 

 commendation is noticed in the volume before us. In all that I have 

 hitherto said respecting this Association, I have spoken almost solely of 

 its internal effects, or those which it produces on the minds and acts of 

 its own members. But it is manifest that such a society cannot fail to 

 have also effects which are external, and that its influence must extend 

 even beyond its own wide circle of members. It not only helps to dif- 

 fuse through the community at large a respect and interest for the pur- 

 suits of scientific men, but ventures even to approach the throne, and to 

 lay before the King the expression of the wishes of this his parliament of 

 science ; on whatever subject of national importance belongs to science 

 only, and is unconnected with the predominance in the state of any one 

 political party. It was judged that the reduction of the astronomical 

 observations on the sun and moon, and planets, which had been accumu- 

 lating under the care of Bradley and his successors, at the Royal and 

 National Observatory at Greenwich, since the middle of the last century, 

 but which, except so far as foreign astronomers might use them, had lain 

 idle and useless till now, to the great obstruction of the advance of prac- 

 tical as well as theoretical science, was a subject of that national import- 

 ance, and worthy of such an approach to the highest functionaries of the 

 state. It happened that I was not present when the propriety of making 

 this application was discussed, so that I do not know whether the 

 authority of Bessel was quoted. That authority has not at least been 

 mentioned, to my knowledge, in any printed remarks upon the question, 

 but, as it bears directly and powerfully thereon, you will permit me, 

 perhaps, to occupy a few moments by citing it. 



Professor Bessel, of Koenigsberg, who, for consummate union of theory 

 and practice, must be placed in the very foremost rank, may be placed, 

 perhaps, at the head of astronomers now living and now working, pub- 

 lished not long ago that classical and useful volume, the ee Tabulse Re- 

 ^jomontanse," which I now hold in my hand. In the introduction to this 

 volume of Tables, Bessel remarks, that " the present knowledge of the 

 solar system has not made all the progress which might have been ex- 

 pected* from the great number and goodness of the observations made on 

 the sun, and moon, and planets, from the times of Bradley down. It 



