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Proceedings of the Royal Society 
idea of its probable temperature of origination, ” published in 
the Society’s Transactions, vol. xxix. p. 285, the Medal was 
presented to him by the Chairman, with the following 
remarks : — 
The first matter of public business for to-night is to present the 
Makdougall-Brisbane prize to Professor Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer- 
Royal for Scotland. 
The terms of the bequest are — that “ this prize is to be awarded 
biennially by the Council of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, to 
such person, for such purposes, for such objects, and in such manner 
as shall appear to them most conducive to the promotion of the 
interests of science.” 
The Council, after duly considering the various papers published 
in our Transactions during the biennial period, were unanimously 
of opinion that it would be conducive to the interests of science, 
at this time, to award the prize to Professor Piazzi Smyth, on 
account of the merit of his memoir, published in the last volume of 
our Transactions, entitled “The Solar Spectrum in 1877-78, with 
some Practical Idea of its Probable Temperature of Origination.” 
Though the adjudication of the prize rests entirely with the 
Council, it has always been the practice not only to present the 
prize publicly at a general meeting of the Society, but also to 
indicate briefly the reasons for which the prize was so adjudged. 
In endeavouring to discharge the duty which falls on me this 
evening, let me just say, with reference to the subject of Professor 
Piazzi Smyth’s paper, that whilst the telescope is most valuable, 
indeed indispensable for giving a knowledge of the heavenly bodies, 
the spectroscope, invented only twenty years ago, affords informa- 
tion of an important nature regarding these bodies which the tele- 
scope cannot supply. 
By the telescope we discover the exact shape, size, and colour, 
of the heavenly bodies, and can descry many which are not visible 
to the naked eye. 
By the spectroscope we have already ascertained something of 
the actual materials composing these bodies, especially those bodies 
which shine by their own light. At all events, we have ascertained 
by means of that instrument, that numerous substances, both solid 
