Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 60.djvu/332

Rh from My Lords of the Admiralty, who d.rected H.M.S. “ Penguin ” to carry the observers from Sydney, N.S.W., to Funafuti, the seat ot the boring, and to render the Expedition ail possible help during the whole of the operations. I desire to express on behalf of the Society our recognition of this renewed token of the willingness of My Lords of the Admiralty to further scientific inquiry. Though the full Report of the Expedition has not yet reached the Council, information has been received to the effect that the boring operations had to be suspended when a depth of only 75 feet had been reached ; a layer of sand and boulders presenting obstacles which the experts employed were unable to overcome. It is much to be regretted that an undertaking which promised scientific results of very great value has thus so far failed.

The appeals of the Council to H.M. Minister for Foreign Affairs and to My Lords of the Admiralty for assistance to the Eclipse Expeditions met with most cordial and effective response, for which we would express our gratitude. We also desire to acknowledge the courtesy shown and help afforded to the observing parties in Norway and Japan by the respective Governments of those countries, and to record our high appreciation of the enthusiastic and effective aid given to those under the direction of Mr. Norman Lockyer, at Vadso, by Captain King Hall and the Officers and crew of H.M.S. « Yolage ” ; to Dr. Common, also in Norway, by Commodore Atkinson, of H.M.S. “ Active ” ; to the Astronomer Royal’s party, in Japan, by the Officers of H.M.S. “ Humber,” “ Pique,” and “ Linnet,” kindly detached by Admiral Sir A. Buller to convey the various members of the expedition to and from Yezo, and to aid them during the observations.

Both in Norway and in Japan unfavourable weather rendered to a large extent nugatory the elaborate preparations which had been made for observing the eclipse. But British astronomy was splendidly saved from failure on this important occasion by the munificence and public spirit of Sir George Baden Powell, who fitted up, at his own expense, and accompanied an expedition in his yacht “ O taria” to Novaya Zemlya. The instruments employed were provided by our Fellows, Mr. Lockyer and Mr. Stone, of the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford; and the observations were entrusted to Mr. Shackleton, one of the comjmters employed by the Solar Physics Committee. In brilliant weather photographic observations were made, which promise to yield novel results of a highly important character.

At the request of the President of the Board of Trade the Council nominated, in March, Professors Kennedy and Roberts-A listen as two members of a Committee to investigate the loss of strength in steel rails. So far as I am aware, the Committee has not yet made