140 
HISTORY OF THE 
[1860-70 
expense a telescope of aperture 9 inches from Messrs. Cooke, of 
York, sailed on 1862 April 26, with his wife and family, and instru 
ments, and landed at Bombay on August 8. A letter to Piazzi 
Smyth ends with a postscript dated August 11 : “ Leaving for 
Poonah to-morrow. All Well! ” This was followed by the news 
of his death on the 16th. And so in this tragical disaster ended 
an enterprise which had started with so great promise of success. 
The Society has always been proud that Her Majesty Queen 
Victoria had, on accession to the throne, graciously complied with 
the request that Her Majesty should become the Patroness of the 
Society. It is an indication of the widespread sympathy and 
anxiety on account of the illness of the Prince Consort, that the 
Council Meeting which had been called for 1861 December 13, 
was adjourned after the only business explicitly prescribed by the 
bye-laws had been transacted. The Prince died on the following 
day, and the Council met again on December 18 and drew up the 
address of condolence, which was submitted to the Society on 
1862 January 10 for presentation to the Queen. 
The second year, 1861, of the decade began with an episode 
which roused strong feeling at the time. It related to the election 
of a new President to succeed Robert Main. In 1858 the Council 
had reported that it had been invited by the united request of 
five of the Fellows to discuss an alteration in the mode of electing 
the Officers and Council. The proposed change seemed to arise 
out of the opinion that the then existing method, which consisted 
in bringing to the vote a list prepared by the retiring Council, 
with individual liberty of substitution of any one name for any 
other, gave no opportunity of previous concert in the election of 
officers, except among those Fellows who happen to be thrown 
together by circumstances. The matter was referred to the 
next Council, and the result was that a Special General Meeting 
was held on 1858 June 11, and alterations in the Bye-laws were 
enacted, by which the practice of submitting a list of Officers 
and Council for election, hitherto followed by the Council for 
convenience, was enjoined by a bye-law. But, in addition to 
this list, any names forwarded by any two or more Fellows before 
the ordinary meeting of the Council in December, were to be sub 
mitted to the General Meeting in February : the common right 
of striking out any of those names and substituting others remaining 
unaltered. The lists were to be circulated as soon after the 
meeting of Council in December as could be conveniently done. 
The effect of the change was frankly described (by the Council 
which retired in 1859 February) as being that a much longer time