Edinburgh, 4th May 1850.
 

 MY DEAR SIR—Professor Kelland, to whom your paper as referred by the Council R. S., reports favourably    upon it, but complains of the great obscurity of several parts, owing to the abrupt transitions and want of   distinction between what is assumed and what is proved in various passages, which he has marked in pencil, and    which I trust that you will use your utmost effort to make plain and intelligible. It is perfectly evident that it must be   useless to publish a paper for the use of scientific readers generally, the steps of which cannot, in many places, be   followed by so expert an algebraist as Prof. Kelland;—if, indeed, they be steps at all and not assumptions of   theorems from other writers who are not quoted. You will please to pay particular attention to clear up these    passages, and return the MS. by post to Professor Kelland, West Cottage, Wardie, Edinburgh, so that he may   receive it by Saturday the 11th, as I shall then have left town.—Believe me, yours sincerely,

                                                                          JAMES D. FORBES.