A. MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. 39 



seen about that time striking the atmosphere as shooting- 

 stars. This prediction was fully verified by the event. On 

 the evening of November 2V, between the hours of six and 

 eight, a remarkable shower of meteors was observed, the as- 

 tronomers of the Naval Observatory counting several hun- 

 dred. And further, the direction of their motion correspond- 

 ed, as nearly as could be judged, to that of the lost comet. In 

 consequence, the Washington astronomers entertain no seri- 

 ous doubt that the meteoric shower was really caused by the 

 earth's meet ins: the debris of the comet. 



COINCIDENCE OF SOLAR OUTBURSTS AND MAGNETIC 



DISTURBANCE. 



An interesting coincidence between solar outbursts and 

 magnetic storms, if not a relation of cause and effect, is sug- 

 gested by Professor Airy in a communication to Nature. In 

 this, referring to an announcement by Father Secchi of a re- 

 markable outburst from the sun's limb, which lasted nearly 

 four hours, as witnessed by him on the 7th of July, he re- 

 marks that a magnetic storm commenced the same day, its 

 influence upon all the instruments being unusually sudden 

 and perceptible. The disturbance diminished gradually to the 

 evening of the second day, and was accompanied during a 

 part of the time by an aurora. If a connection really existed 

 between the two phenomena, the transmission of the influence 

 from the sun to the earth must have occupied two hours and 

 twenty minutes, or a longer time if Father Secchi did not 

 see the actual beginning of the outburst. 12 A y August 22, 

 1872,328. 



TRANSIT OF VENUS IN 1874. 



Our government is making active preparations to observe 

 the transit of Venus in 1874 with a completeness which will 

 leave nothing to be desired. At the last session of Congress 

 a scientific commission was organized to provide the neces- 

 sary instruments, and it has been determined to occupy eight 

 or ten stations. The stations will be mostly on the islands 

 and coasts of the Pacific Ocean, from New Zealand on the 

 south to the Aleutian Islands on the north, and from the Sand- 

 wich Islands on the east to China on the west. Telescopes 

 and photographic apparatus for eight stations have been or- 



