(suggested by the fall of the bridge at Chester).
Lord Auckland objected to it, and I was not sorry
to be spared the trouble of it.—In December
I was requested, and undertook to prepare the Astronomical
part of the Scientific Manual for Naval Officers.—On
Sept. 24th occurred a very remarkable Magnetic Storm,
to which there had been nothing comparable before.
Mr Glaisher had it observed by eye extremely well,
and I printed and circulated a paper concerning it.—Hansen,
stimulated by the Lunar Reductions, discovered two
long inequalities in the motion of the Moon, produced
by the action of Venus. In the Report to the
Visitors this matter is thus referred to: ’In
the last summer I had the pleasure of visiting Prof.
Hansen at Gotha, and I was so fortunate as to exhibit
to him the corrections of the elements from these
Reductions, and strongly to call his attention to
their certainty, the peculiarity of their fluctuations,
and the necessity of seeking for some physical explanation.
I have much pleasure in indulging in the thought,
that it was mainly owing to this representation that
Prof. Hansen undertook that quest, which has
terminated in the discovery of his two new lunar inequalities,
the most remarkable discovery, I think, in Physical
Astronomy.’—In discussing points
relating to the discovery of Neptune, I made an unfortunate
blunder. In a paper hastily sent to the Athenaeum
(Feb. 18th) I said that Arago’s conduct had been
indelicate. I perceived instantly that I had
used a wrong expression, and by the very next post
I sent an altered expression. This altered expression
was not received in time, and the original expression
was printed, to my great sorrow. I could not
then apologize. But at what appeared to be the
first opportunity, in December, I did apologize; and
my apology was accepted. But I think that Arago
was never again so cordial as before.—On
July 4th Hebe was discovered. After this Iris
and Flora. Now commenced that train of discoveries
which has added more than 100 planets to the Solar
System.—On Oct. 8th was an Annular Eclipse
of the Sun, of which the limit of annularity passed
near to Greenwich. To determine the exact place,
I equipped observatories at Hayes, Lewisham South
End, Lewisham Village, Blackwall, Stratford, Walthamstow,
and Chingford. The weather was bad and no observation
was obtained.—In the Royal Astronomical
Society: In 1846, the dispute between the partisans
of Adams and Le Verrier was so violent that no medal
could be awarded to either. In 1847 I (with other
Fellows of the Society) promoted a special Meeting
for considering such a modification of the bye-laws
that for this occasion only it might be permissible
to give two medals. After two days’ stormy
discussion, it was rejected.—In the University
of London: At a meeting in July, where the religious
question was discussed, it was proposed to receive
some testimonial from affiliated bodies, or to consider
that or some other plan for introducing religious