MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SECTION. 
October 5th, 1859. 
1 he following gentlemen were elected Officers of the 
Section, for the present year : — 
Mr. Baxendell read a Paper “ On the Phenomena of 
Groups of Solar Spots.” 
After alluding to the conclusions which have been 
drawn from the observations of the solar spots made by 
M. Schwabe, Mr. Carrington, Mr. Dawes, Professor Secchi, 
and Dr. C. H. F. Peters, the Author describes certain pheno- 
mena of groups of solar spots, which, so far as he is aware, 
have not hitherto been noticed in any astronomical work or 
\ 
memoir, but which he thinks merit attention as indicating the 
direction in which future inquiries ought to be made. 
1. In groups consisting of spots differing considerably in 
size, the largest spot is generally in the preceding part of the 
group. An examination of many of the published drawings 
and descriptions of the solar spots by former observers, and of 
an unpublished series of diagrams made by Mr. Williamson, 
of Cheetham Hill, in the years 1849, 1851, and 1859, has 
confirmed the conclusion drawn from the Author’s own 
observations. 
President, Robekt Worthington, F.R.A.S. 
73 -7 . rJ. W. Long, F.R.A.S. 
\ce~ Presidents, d 
’ \E. W. Binney, F.R.S., F.G.S. 
Treasurer, Joseph Baxendell, F.R.A.S. 
Secretary, Mr. Thos. Heelis. 
October 13th, 1859. 
