liv 
FIFTH REPORT- 1835 . 
discrepancies between the present tables and observations are not un¬ 
commonly outside that limit. The cause is doubtful. Errors of ob¬ 
servation to such amount they cannot be; and therefore they can only 
arise from some wrong method of reduction, or wrongly assumed ellip¬ 
tic elements or masses of the planets, or insufficiently developed for- 
mulae of perturbation, or else they point to some disturbing cause, 
which still remains obscure, and has not yet been reached by the light 
of theory. But it ought surely to be deemed the highest problem of 
astronomy , to examine with the utmost diligence into that which has 
been often said, but not as yet in every case sufficiently established, 
whether theory and experience do really always agree. When the 
solution of this weighty problem shall have been most studiously made 
trial of, in all its parts, then either will the theory of Newton be per¬ 
fectly and absolutely confirmed, or else it will be known beyond all 
doubt that in certain cases it does not suffice without some little change, 
or that besides the known disturbing bodies there exist some causes of 
disturbance still obscure.” And then after some technical remarks, 
less connected with our present subject, Bessel goes on to say, “To me, 
considering all these things together, it appears to be of the highest 
moment (plurimum valere) towards our future progress in the know¬ 
ledge of the solar system, to reduce into catalogues as diligently as can 
be done, according to one common system of elements, the places of all 
the planets observed since 1750, than which labour, 1 believe that no 
other now will be of greater use to astronomy” (.. quo labore nullum 
credo nunc majorem utilitatem Astronomice allaturum esse). Such is 
the opinion of Bessel; but such is not the opinion of an anonymous 
censor, who has written of us in a certain popular review. To him it 
seems a matter of little moment that old observations should be re¬ 
duced. Nothing good, he imagines, can come from the study of those 
obsolete records. It may be very well that thousands of pounds should 
continue to be spent by the nation, year after year, in keeping up the 
observatory at Greenwich; but as to the spending 5001. in turning to 
some scientific profit the accumulated treasures there, that is a waste 
of public money, and an instance of misdirected influence on the part of 
the British Association. For you, gentlemen, will rejoice to hear, if 
any of you have not already heard it, and those who have heard it al¬ 
ready will not grudge to hear it again, that through the influence of 
this Association, what Bessel wished, rather than hoped, is now in pro¬ 
cess of accomplishment: and that, under the care of the man who in 
England has done most to show how much may be done with an ob¬ 
servatory, that national disgrace is to be removed, of ignorance or in¬ 
difference about those scientific treasures which England has almost 
