Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/61

 [820-30] ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 45 luties of the office of Honorary Secretary," the Treasurer was directed to regard him as a Life Member, without payment of fees. There is no further mention of an Assistant Secretary until 1829 January 29, when we find it Resolved that the Secretaries be empowered to employ an Assistant. But nothing more definite occurs in the Minutes until 1830 November 19, when steps were taken resulting in the appoint- ment of Mr. James Epps, as recounted in the next Chapter. STANDING COMMITTEES (INSTRUMENTS AND LIBRARY) In 1829 January two Committees were appointed to report upon the Instruments and on the Library respectively. They were to be reappointed in each following January. The latter gradually became a permanent institution, but there is to-day nothing in place of the former. It may therefore be well to recall the importance of this matter of instruments in the early days. The first considerable present of instruments was from Lieut. George Beaufoy. who at the death of his father, Colonel Mark Beaufoy (a silver medallist of the Society in 1827 February for his observations of Jupiter's Satellites " with a five-feet achromatic by Dollond ") handed over One 4-feet transit by Gary, One altazimuth by Gary, A sidereal and a mean solar clock, in recognition of which valuable presents the donor was elected a Life Member, without payment of fees (M.N., 1, 51). At the adjourned evening meeting of Council after the presentation, 1827 June 8, Captain Smyth, R.N., applied for the loan of the instru- ments. His request was referred to the Committee of the President ( J. F. W. Herschel), Beaufort, Baily, and Colby, which had already been appointed to deal with the handing over of the instruments and is referred to as the " Instrument Committee." This no doubt led to the establishment of the more permanent Committee some eighteen months later. In 1828 December 8, Dr. W. H. Wollaston presented a telescope made by Peter Dollond in 1771 : expressing the hope that it might be used. He had himself used it for " trying and perfecting his method of adjusting the triple achromatic object glass " : and it was forthwith lent to Mr. Maclear, of Biggies- wade, for observing occultations. Dr. Wollaston was proposed as a Fellow in 1828 June, and would in the ordinary course have been balloted for in December ; but the " alarming state of his health and high probability of his dissolution previous to the December