.830-40 
1830-40] ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 65 
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Flamsteed’s correspondence with Sharp and of Flamsteed’s original 
observations were deposited in the library by Baily in 1834-35. 
Another accession to the library of the same kind was the 
original manuscript of the extensive series of observations of 
circumpolar stars made by Groombridge. These had been reduced 
and a star-catalogue prepared from them at the expense of the 
Admiralty. After 1830 June this work was done by a Mr. Henry 
Taylor, a brother of the well-known astronomer at Madras, and a 
son of Pond’s First Assistant. He felt aggrieved at the account 
given of the work in the obituary notice of Groombridge in the 
Annual Report of 1833 (written by Sheepshanks), though his name 
was not mentioned in it. His complaint, that statements in the 
obituary were “ totally inaccurate and essentially wrong,” was 
investigated by a Committee, who reported to the Council that 
his charge was “ frivolous and unfounded ” ; which report the 
Council adopted. Upon which Mr. Taylor, deeply offended, 
resigned his fellowship of the Society. But he would have been 
much wiser if he had let Sheepshanks alone. For that inde 
fatigable worker, who was now put on his mettle, at once proceeded 
to make a thorough examination of the reductions and of the 
printed catalogue, which only wanted the introduction (which 
was in type) to be printed off in order to be published. This 
examination led him to find so many errors, that he pronounced 
the catalogue unfit for publication. At the request of the Ad 
miralty, the matter was next investigated by Airy and Baily, who 
decided that the errors were of such a nature that no system of 
cancelling or list of errata could remove them ; so that the catalogue 
ought to be suppressed. Eventually a new catalogue was prepared 
under the superintendence of Airy, the main bulk of the reductions 
being found to have been well done ; and this was published in 
1838. 
As the Admiralty frequently consulted the Society, it was only 
a proper recognition of its importance as a scientific body when 
the President (in 1831) was empowered to nominate five Fellows to 
serve with him on the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory.* 
The Council also obtained the privilege of distributing a hundred 
copies of the Greenwich Observations (1832). 
In the Report on the Nautical Almanac the hope had been 
expressed that a new edition might be issued of the “ Tables 
requisite to be used with the Nautical Almanac .” In response 
to this the Admiralty requested the Council to select and arrange 
tables for a new edition. A large Committee, including several 
foreign astronomers of note, was appointed in 1831 July. They 
* Up to that time the Board consisted of the Council of the Royal Society 
and a few others nominated by them.