12 
REPORT OF THE 
As has been stated before, the list of the Society’s Hon. 
Members has sustained a great loss in the death of Mr. Thomas 
Cooke, an Optician and Astronomical Mechanician of the 
highest repute. Mr. Cooke was born at AUerthorpe, near 
PockHngton, and resided nearly all his life in this city, 
where he settled as a mathematical teacher. Being possessed 
of great Mathematical and Mechanical talents, he turned his 
attention to 0]3tical researches, and began the construction of 
Achromatic Object Classes. It is interesting to record that the 
first telescope which he made for sale was for our former Secre¬ 
tary, Professor Phillips, and after more than thirty years it is 
as clear and good as ever: it was of 2J inches aperture and 
37J focus. That which he was engaged upon at his decease 
was of 25 inches aperture and 30 feet focus. Besides the 
making of object glasses of large dimensions and unprecedented 
accuracy, by the aid of steam power, his genius was she^vTi in 
the improvement of the principal Astronomical Instruments— 
and certainly he deserved the praise of being one of the most 
‘‘Scientific Opticians in Europe, perhaps the most able of them 
“ all for solid and perfect work.” 
J. D. Forbes, formerly Professor of Natural Philosophy and 
Principal of the United Colleges of St. Andrews, died on the 
last day of 1868. He was one of the originators of the British 
Association, and in company of Sir DaUd Brewster and Sir 
John Pobison, Secretary of the Eoyal Society of Edinbm’gh, 
came to York in September 1831, to concert with the Pev. 
Wm. Vernon Harcourt and Mr. Phillips the necessary measures 
for its establishment and organization. His name appears as 
an Honorary Member in the Peport of that year. While he 
was eminent in many branches of Natural Philosophy, his 
researches on the formation of Glaciers, and their influence on 
the ancient history of the Eailh’s smface, have chiefly contri¬ 
buted to the establishment of his scientific reputation. 
The Society have also lost by death during the past year 
another Hon. Member, who has won for himself a distinguish¬ 
ed reputation in the science of Archoeology. M. Boucher de 
Perthes died at Abbeville in August last, at the age of 80 
years, and was the first to draw attention to the discovery of 
