Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/177

 1860-70] ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 151 the festival given on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the inaugura- tion of the Central Observatory of Russia. He had, he said, been the more ready to accept the invitation because he had been informed that many of the members of the Council of the recently founded Astronomische Gesellschaft were to be present, and he anticipated that it would be agreeable to them to meet some officer of the elder English Society with a view to the organisation of a friendly alliance, if not of a more intimate connection, between the two Societies. He explained that the objects of the new Society were in great measure different from those of our own Society. In the first place, it is not intended that it shall meet periodi- cally to receive and read communications on astronomical subjects, and it does not contemplate the publication of Memoirs or Proceed- ings in the ordinary meaning of those terms. It has no honorary members, no corresponding members or Associates, and is, in fact, more properly a co-operative union of astronomers, who propose, either by correspondence or by the occasional assemblage of its members in various towns, to effect an interchange of ideas, and to promote and encourage, by concerted and well-directed action, such undertakings as may, from time to time, appear best calcu- lated to aid the progress of astronomical science. Our German colleagues have long felt the necessity that some understanding should be come to among scientific men to prevent a waste of valu- able activity from the circumstance of two or more astronomers working on the same subject ; also that the zeal of the numerous contributors to astronomy would be rendered much more effective if it were in some measure directed by a concerted action. It is thought that in many cases much good may be done by causing certain preliminary investigations to be made, and, in others, by effecting a revision and new reduction of the older observations (Bradley's, for example) ; hence it is contemplated to use the funds of the Society in getting this work done when necessary by paid computers, and it is their further intention to print and issue as speedily as possible the results obtained. It will be a matter for consideration in what way our Society can ally itself with the German Society, and it may not be very readily seen how this can be accomplished, but I am sure you will concur with me in wishing most cordially that that Society may prosper, and possibly many of you will like to do as Professor Adams and myself have done, join the Society and become entitled to its publications. The earliest biennial meetings of the Astronomische Gesellschaft were held, the first at Leipzic in 1865, the second at Bonn in 1867, the third at Vienna in 1869 ; and the Vierteljahrsschrift was started in 1866. By the end of the decade the co-operative plan for the