176 Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth's Astronomical Notices. 



reward for himself. The pamphlet in question is a very full ac- 

 count of the excellent manner in which he has performed his duty. 



The papers have been ringing, during the last few days, with ac- 

 counts of the discovery of a third ring to Saturn, by Professor Bond 

 of Cambridge, Massachusetts ; but the account of what has been seen 

 is so very indistinct, that some have asserted that it is only the same 

 division of the external ring seen at various times by Captain Kater, 

 Encke, Quetelet, and Messrs Dawes and Lassel. There seems more 

 probability, however, of its being a division, or rather a series of 

 divisions, in the inside of the inner ring, which have been seen. 

 This, together with the observations of the former astronomers, con- 

 firms remarkably Laplace's theoretical view of the constitution of the 

 Saturnian ring. 



Messrs Bond's and Lassel's joint discovery of the eighth satellite 

 of Saturn, Hyperion, is much more satisfactory, and the new mem- 

 ber stands thus amongst the old : — 



Revolution in days. 



Mimas, . . . 0*94 



Enceladus, . . . 1'37 



Tethys, . . . 1-89 



Dione, .... 2*74 



Rhea, .... 4*52 



Titan, .... 15-95 



Hyperion, . . . 21-18 



Japetus, . . . 79'33 



The total solar eclipse of July 28th, 1851, presents a strong in- 

 ducement to travel at that season of the year. Eclipses are seen 

 total over so small a portion of the earth, that, were a person to 

 remain fixed in any one spot for 500, or even 1000 years, he might 

 not see one ; while, if he travel about the world, he might see one 

 almost every year. Sometimes, indeed, he would be obliged to visit 

 the North Pole and sometimes the South, or other equally inclement 

 and impassable regions ; but the time of total obscuration for next 

 year, traversing the north-east of Europe, is easily accessible. Many 

 persons present, doubtless, witnessed the annular eclipse of a few years 

 ago here, and thought much of it : But however interesting and strik- 

 ing it may have been, it is not to be compared with a total one ; for 

 the sun's surface is so excessively bright that, if the smallest par- 

 ticle of its disc be left uneclipsed, there is still a general daylight ; 

 but in an actual total eclipse, there is nocturnal darkness, and a host 

 of interesting phenomena relative to the physics of the sun and 

 moon come out, which can never be inquired into at any other time. 



Professor Littrow of the Vienna Observatory, has sent a map of 

 the path of total obscuration, the central line of which passes through 

 the points whose latitudes are lat. N. 60°, 55°, and 50°, and long. 

 E. of Greenwich, 6° 58', 17° 48' and 27° 38'. The breadth of the 

 line of observation is equal to about 130 geographical miles. With 

 these data, any person may draw the lines on his own map, and 

 securely choose .his place for observing the phenomena. Arrange- 



