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RefNoEC/1870/14
Previous numbersCert X, 205
LevelItem
TitleVerdon, Sir George Frederic: certificate of election to the Royal Society
CitationGeorge Frederick Verdon CB.
At one time Honorary Assistant of the Observatory of Melbourne of which he took the sole charge during the absence of the Director Mr Ellery while engaged on the Geodetic Survey. This observatory, when Mr Verdon took charge of it, was a small wooden building containing a few imperfect instruments, but when Mr Verdon entered on a political career, shortly after Mr Ellery's return, he made it one of the chief objects of his public life to aid the scientific institutions of the Colony and, more particularly, to establish a thoroughly efficient observatory: - with that view, he carried a declaratory resolution in the House of Assembly in favour of the creation of a Board of Vistors to the Observatory; of this Board Sir Henry Buckley was president, and Mr Verdon honorary secretary. A few months later Mr Verdon became Minister of Finance and he then proposed and carried the necessary votes for building a new observatory, for puchasing a complete set of splendid instruments, including the equatoreal reflector of 4 feet aperture, and for the adequate payment of the Astronomer & his Staff. Mr Verdon availed himself of his influence to assist Prof McCoy in the formation of the National Museum, as well as Dr Muller in his botanical, and Dr Neumayer in his meteorological and magnetical researches, and during his stay in the Colony always took a prominent part in promoting the advancement of human knowledge.
ProposersFrom General Knowledge. A Strange; Francis Galton; W R Grove; J J Sylvester; W H Sykes; Wm Lassell; E J Stone; J C Whitbread.
From Personal Knowledge. G B Airy; J C Adams; Charles Manby; J P Gassiot; Douglas Galton; Robert Hunt; Julius Jeffreys; Thomas Thomson; B Stewart
Extent1 sheet
AccessStatusOpen
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Verdon, Sir George Frederic: certificate of election to the Royal Society

Fellows associated with this archive
CodePersonNameDates
NA6423Verdon; Sir; George Frederic (1834 - 1896)1834 - 1896
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