the Mural Circle.--In this
autumn I seriously took up the recalculation of my Long Inequality of
Venus and the Earth, and worked through it independently; thus
correcting two errors. On Nov. 10th I went to Slough, to put my Paper
in the hands of Mr Herschel for communication to the Royal
Society. The Paper was read on Nov. 24th.--This was the year of the
first Meeting of the British Association at York. The next year's
meeting was to be at Oxford, and on Oct. 17th I received from the
Rev. W. Vernon Harcourt an invitation to supply a Report on Astronomy,
which I undertook: it employed me much of the winter, and the
succeeding spring and summer.--The second edition of my Tracts was
ready in October. It contained, besides what was in the first edition,
the Planetary Theory, and the Undulatory Theory of Light. The Profit
was _L80_.--On Nov. 14th I presented to the Cambridge Philosophical
Society a Paper 'On a remarkable modification of Newton's Rings': a
pretty good Paper.--In November the Copley Medal was awarded to me by
the Royal Society for my advances in Optics.--Amongst miscellaneous
matters I was engaged in correspondence with Col. Colby and
Capt. Portlock about the Irish Triangulation and its calculation. Also
with the Admiralty on the form of publication of the Greenwich and
Cape Observations."

1832

"In January my Examination Paper for Smith's Prizes was prepared as
usual.--Two matters (in addition to the daily routine of Observatory
work) occupied me at the beginning of this year. One was the
translation of Encke's Paper in successive numbers of the
Astronomische Nachrichten concerning Encke's Comet; the University
Press printed this gratuitously, and I distributed copies, partly by
the aid of Capt. Beaufort.--The other was the Report on Astronomy for
the British Association, which required much labour. My reading for
it was principally in the University Library (possibly some in
London), but I borrowed some books from F. Baily, and I wrote to
Capt. Beaufort about the possible repetition of Lacaille's Meridian
Arc at the Cape of Good Hope. The Report appears to have been finished
on May 2nd.--At this time the Reform Bill was under discussion, and
one letter written by me (probably at Sheepshanks's request) addressed
I think to Mr Drummond, Lord Althorp's secretary, was read in the
House of Commons.

"Optics were not neglected. I have some correspondence with Brewster
and