Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/173

 1860-70] ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 147 after ten years' work, his catalogue of 133,659 stars was completed and published in volume eight of the Bonn Observations. In 1863, Airy [1801-92] was elected to the Presidency for the fourth time, in spite of his expressed desire to be excused from office. He served for a single year, and he was relieved of the labour of preparing an address at the Annual Meeting of 1864 ; for no medal was awarded. The Vice-President (Main), however, gave a short address, and stated that the decision of the Council not to adjudge the medal was occasioned not by any want of meritorious work which deserved such a reward, but rather on account of the very abundance of them. Main called attention to various points mentioned in the Council's report, and added that " in the account of the progress of English Astronomy it would be unpardonable not to give a prominent place to the publication of Mr. Carrington's book on the Solar Spots. It would be premature to eulogise this admirable production, the merits of which would, no doubt, at some future time be brought prominently before the Society ; but he could not avoid saying that he recognised in it the same care- ful elaboration and finish, the same attention to the minutest necessary details of observation and calculation, coupled with the broadest and most sagacious theoretical views which had rendered the Red Hill Catalogue of stars a classic among similar productions." Main had given the address when the medal was awarded to Carrington for the Red Hill Catalogue in 1859, and the anticipation which the words just quoted suggest that a similar award might soon be made for the solar work rouses some wonderment as to whether the Council in 1863 November, having thought of awards to several Astronomers, had refrained out of consideration for Airy. It is on record that Airy had asked the Council to relieve him of the obligation to prepare an address ; and if we are left with a feeling of surprise that Carrington's solar work was never crowned, it may be stated that it is also on record that Carrington, having learnt that the Council in 1865 were preparing to include his solar work in the list of possible awards, requested them to omit his name from the list. That Airy had reason to hesitate about undertaking any work beyond his onerous official duties, w r e in these days have learnt from the records of his activity published after his death. Main had given some indication of that activity when he was speaking of the help he had received from Airy in the preparation of the address on Hansen's Lunar Tables in 1860. He described his amazement at realising for the first time the amount of anxiety and labour which had fallen on Airy, though he (Main) had been for nearly five -and -twenty years so near his person, and generally