SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
225 
it will not be too anxious to fund its money. Surely new discoveries made 
by its aid will prove a more worthy inheritance for our successors than consols, 
be they never so much above par ! 
As remarked by Mr. Pritchard at the anniversary meeting, death is now 
busy with the eminent men to whose labours so- much of the Society’s 
success is due ; the obituaries of Sir William Hamilton, Sir J. W. Lubbock, 
Admiral Smyth, and of Bond and Encke, appear in the annual report, 
while, since it was prepared, Dr. Lee and Dr. Whewell have gone from 
among us, the former being one of the most constant patrons the science has 
ever had in this country. 
From the reports of the different observatories we cull the following 
items of information : — The Astronomer Koyal of Scotland has been at work 
on and in the pyramids, and promises soon to let us hear the results of his 
observations, which were mainly directed in three departments of linear, 
angular, and thermal measures, with special reference to all cases of 
discordance amongst former observers, as well as the recovery, where 
possible, of ancient fiducial marks or surfaces. In connection with this it 
may be mentioned that the astronomical bearings of the corner sockets cut in 
the natural rock of the hill, marking the original size of the finished 
monument, were determined on two sides of the pyramid by means of a 
powerful altitude-azimuth circle reading by microscope micrometers. This 
instrument was likewise carried to the top of the pyramid, and also into the 
interior. 
At Kew, in addition to the sun- and other work, which we have previously 
chronicled, a new collimator arrangement for testing sextants, devised by 
Mr. Cooke, is in course of construction under the superintendence of 
Mr. Francis Galton, F.K.S., and will shortly be erected at the Observatory, 
so that nautical men will then be able to have their sextants tested in an 
accurate manner. It is also the intention of the Kew Committee to offer to 
travellers and scientific observers an opportunity to make themselves 
acquainted at the Observatory with portable astronomical instruments of 
every kind, with the mode of using them properly, and the best methods of 
reducing observations. It is unnecessary to dwell on the great benefit 
which it would confer on astronomical science, if good use could be made of 
such an opportunity. 
Mr. De la Kue is by no means discouraged by the want of success which 
has hitherto attended his efforts to photograph the sun- on a large scale, and 
he is now having constructed by Messrs. Cooke and Sons, of York, a refractor 
for that purpose, thirteen inches in aperture and ten feet in focal length. 
Both object-glass and eye-piece will be specially corrected for the photo- 
graphic rays, and will serve for taking lunar photographs in the principal 
focus, as well as sun pictures, after the rays have passed through the 
secondary magnifier. It is anticipated that the sun pictures procured with 
the new instrument will set at rest many disputed points in solar physics. 
This is a great deal to hope, but we do not think it is too much. 
Mr. Fletcher is still proceeding with his revision of the Bedford star 
catalogue. 
The Seance, publique of the French Academy of Sciences has also been 
held since our last summary was written, and the grand prix dJ Astronomic 
