1. If G is a Lie group, then the group Aut(G) of all continuous automorphisms of G has a natural Lie group structure. This gives the semidirect product A(G) = G-Aut(G) the structure of a Lie group. When G is a vector group R", A(G) is the ordinary affine group A(re). Following L. Auslander [l ] we will refer to A(G) as the affine group of G, and regard it as a transformation group on G by (g, a): h-^g-a(h) where g, hEG and aGAut(G) ; in the case of a vector group, this is the usual action on A(») on R". If B is a compact subgroup of A(n), then it is well known that B has a fixed point on R", i.e., that there is a point xGR" such that b(x)=x for every bEB. For A(ra) is contained in the general linear group GL(« + 1, R) in the usual fashion, and B (being compact) must be conjugate to a subgroup of the orthogonal group 0(w + l). This conjugation can be done leaving fixed the (« + 1, w + 1)-place matrix entries, and is thus possible by an element of k(n). This done, the translation-parts of elements of B must be zero, proving the assertion. L. Auslander [l] has extended this theorem to compact abelian subgroups of A(G) when G is connected, simply connected and nilpotent. We will give a further extension.