Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/195

 CHAPTER VI THE DECADE 1870-1880. (BY H. P. HOLLIS) I. 1870-1873 IN 1870 February fifty years had elapsed since the foundation of the Society, and this Jubilee was recognised by an attempt to secure a specially large attendance at the dinner, which it was then cus- tomary to have on the day of the Annual General Meeting. A circular-letter was issued to Fellows inviting them to be present " to make the dinner an occasion of commemorating the foundation of the Society fifty years since." * M. Delaunay, the recipient of the Gold Medal, was at the dinner. The address delivered at the meeting on presentation of the medal was written by Professor J. C. Adams, Vice-President, and was read by him, as the President, Admiral Manners, was absent through illness. f At this February meeting, Mr. Lassell was elected President for the ensuing year, and Mr. Huggins and Mr. Stone retained office as Secretaries. The partnership did not continue long, because Mr. Stone was appointed to the post of H.M. Astronomer at the Cape, in June, on the resignation of Sir Thomas Maclear, and the duties of the Secretaryship were undertaken temporarily by Prof. Pritchard, Mr. Burr, or Mr. Dunkin. At the meeting of Council in November, Mr. Dunkin, of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, and Mr. Huggins, were nominated Secretaries in the list of officers to be submitted at the February meeting. Mr. Proctor's name had been proposed for the Secretaryship, but he declined the office as he was unable to give sufficient time to the duties. As he took an active part in the life of the Society in the years now to be written of, some extracts from his biography may not be out of place. Mr. Proctor took his degree as twenty- third Wrangler in 1860, and without following any settled profes- sion, occupied himself in writing occasionally on astronomical subjects. His first book, Saturn and its System, which took four years in preparation, was published in 1865. In 1866 he suffered wine, 2os." f He died in the following May. 167
 * " The dinner will be at Willis' Rooms, at half -past 5. Price, including