164 NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES OF THE
It is true that Dr. Bradley's attention was attracted to these differences in
1725, when observing with his friend, Mr. Molyneux' instrument at Kew ; and
it was in consequence of this that he had a larger Zenith Sector, with an object-
glass of 2.85 inches, constructed by Graham, and set up in Wanstead (Lat.
510 341/2') on the 19 August, 1727. On this date he records: "Mr. Molyneux and
Mr. Graham came to Wanstead and we fixed it up." All the observations which
led to his two notable discoveries were actually made in Wanstead, a; recorded
not only by Dr. Bradley, but also by Dr. Maskelyne, who had worked with him
at Greenwich, and was appointed Astronomer Royal in 1765.
The latter in his Preface to the 1st volume of "Greenwich Observations,"
thus records :—
" This instrument, constructed by that excellent artist, Mr. Graham, with his
peculiar elegance and accuracy, was fixed up at Wanstead in the year 1727, for
the use of that great astronomer, Dr. Bradley ; who, from his first year's observa-
tions with it, discovered the apparent motion of the fixed stars, which he called
the aberration of light, and settled the laws of it ; and from the same observations
continued for a course of twenty years, discovered the nutation of the Earth's
axis : two discoveries so profound, and at the same time, so useful and necessary
to the improvement of astronomy, that they will ever do him honour, while
accurate observations and astronomical speculations are held in estimation.'']
NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELE-
GATES OF THE CORRESPONDING SOCIE-
TIES OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION, HELD
AT NOTTINGHAM, 1893
LAST autumn, as Delegate of the Club, I sent some notes to The
Essex Naturalist on the Conference of Delegates of the
Corresponding Societies which had been held at Edinburgh (E.
N., vol. vi., pp. 175-179). This year I forward some notes on the
Conference which took place last September during the meeting of
the British Association at Nottingham.
The first Conference was on September 14th, at University
College, Nottingham. Professor Meldola being unavoidably absent,
the chair was taken by Dr. Garson, who has always shown much
interest in the work of the Corresponding Societies Committee, and
in promoting increased co-operation between the Corresponding
Societies and the various committees of the British Association
which need their assistance. He remarked on the increased num-
ber of Corresponding Societies since the year 1885, when they were
first enrolled, but he thought that they did not always sufficiently
appreciate their advantages. Out of more than sixty societies on the
list only forty-two had nominated delegates, though, considering the
privilege enjoyed by a delegate of being ex-officio a member of the
General Committee of the British Association, it could hardly be