Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/83

 1830-40] ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 65 Flamsteed's correspondence with Sharp and of Flamsteed's original observations were deposited in the library by Baily in 1834-35. Another accession to the library of the same kind was the original manuscript of the extensive series of observations of circumpolar stars made by Groombridge. These had been reduced and a star-catalogue prepared from them at the expense of the Admiralty. After 1830 June this work was done by a Mr. Henry Taylor, a brother of the well-known astronomer at Madras, and a son of Pond's First Assistant. He felt aggrieved at the account given of the work in the obituary notice of Groombridge in the Annual Report of 1833 (written by Sheepshanks), though his name was not mentioned in it. His complaint, that statements in the obituary were " totally inaccurate and essentially wrong," was investigated by a Committee, who reported to the Council that his charge was " frivolous and unfounded " ; which report the Council adopted. Upon which Mr. Taylor, deeply offended, resigned his fellowship of the Society. But he would have been much wiser if he had let Sheepshanks alone. For that inde- fatigable worker, who was now put on his mettle, at once proceeded to make a thorough examination of the reductions and of the printed catalogue, which only wanted the introduction (which was in type) to be printed off in order to be published. This examination led him to find so many errors, that he pronounced the catalogue unfit for publication. At the request of the Ad- miralty, the matter was next investigated by Airy and Baily, who decided that the errors were of such a nature that no system of cancelling or list of errata could remove them ; so that the catalogue ought to be suppressed. Eventually a new catalogue was prepared under the superintendence of Airy, the main bulk of the reductions being found to have been well done ; and this was published in 1838. As the Admiralty frequently consulted the Society, it was only a proper recognition of its importance as a scientific body when the President (in 1831) was empowered to nominate five Fellows to serve with him on the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory.* The Council also obtained the privilege of distributing a hundred copies of the Greenwich Observations (1832). In the Report on the Nautical Almanac the hope had been expressed that a new edition might be issued of the " Tables requisite to be used with the Nautical Almanac." In response to this the Admiralty requested the Council to select and arrange tables for a new edition. A large Committee, including several foreign astronomers of note, was appointed in 1831 July. They and a few others nominated by them. 5
 * Up to that time the Board consisted of the Council of the Royal Society