466 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



these recent efforts to secure additional statutes for raising the State 

 revenues by means of special taxation, mark the development of new 

 methods of taxation based principally on the growth of corporate 

 wealth and the prosperity of certain privileged and, in some cases, like 

 the liquor-traffic, objectionable classes of industry and business. The 

 proportion of the States in which they are on trial is as yet small. 

 The number, however, is steadily increasing. As the advantages of 

 the new plan are brought more clearly before the notice of legislators, 

 we may expect a revolution in State taxation. So great has been the 

 progress in the past ten years that it would not be astonishing to see 

 at the end of the next decade fully one half of the States levying 

 merely a nominal direct tax, or none at all. Special privileged classes 

 will probably bear the burden of State taxation in the future. The 

 tariff will furnish the national revenue, and the main tax on real and 

 personal property will be for the necessities of county and municipal 

 government. The only danger lies in a tendency to overdo the mat- 

 ter. The special taxes must not be oppressive. The rights of the 

 special classes, as well as of the other tax-payers, must be protected. 

 If co-operation between the States could be assured, so that uniform 

 and equitable rates might be established, great benefit would be 

 derived by all property-owners. 



BISHOP'S EING AEOUND THE SUN. 



By WILLIAM M. DAVIS. 



IF there is nothing new under the sun, there is at least something 

 new around it. For the last two years close observers of the sky 

 have noticed that the noonday sun has been surrounded by a corona 

 of dusky, coppery, or reddish light, as it has been variously described, 

 the circle of most distinct color having a radius of about fifteen de- 

 grees, and inclosing a brilliant, silvery or bluish glow close around the 

 solar disk. A similar appearance of much less intensity has been occa- 

 sionally noticed around the full moon on very clear winter nights. 



The most experienced observers of sky-colors are agreed that this 

 corona was not visible before the latter months of 1883. Von Bezold, 

 of Munich, who was considered the most competent meteorologist to 

 prepare a schedule for observations on the colors of the sky for the 

 recent German Arctic Expedition, says that, in spite of the close atten- 

 tion he had previously given to the appearance of the usual whitish 

 glow around the sun, he had never till recently seen the dusky ring. 

 Thollon, of Nice, who had made a special study of the sky around the 

 sun for a series of years, declares confidently that a change occurred 

 in November, 1883. Backhouse, of Sunderland, who has a careful 



