ASTRONOMY. 217 



Two S-iucli refractors have beeu ordered and are partially finished — 

 one ordered by Prof. YouNa for the semiuary at South Hadley, and the 

 other by Dr. Engelmann, of Leipsic. 



The fliut glass disk for the 30-iuch telescope, ordered by Struct;: for 

 the Eiissiau Governraeut, has been received from Feil, and the crown 

 glass is ex])ected shortly. The mounting for this will probably be made 

 abroad. 



For the Lick trustees a 30-inch refractor is ordered, but it will not be 

 completed for several years. A 12-inch equatorial for observing the 

 transit of Venus is nearly finished, and orders have been received for a 

 5-inch photoheliograph and a smaller comet-seeker. 



In all or nearly all of these instruments the cell of the object-glass is 

 arranged so as to separate the lenses by several inches and allow a free 

 circnlation of air between them, as well as to afford an opportnnity of 

 readily reaching the inner snrfaces of the glass. This device is adopted 

 in the hoj^e of bringing the temperature of the glass as nearly as pos- 

 sible equal to that of the external air, but it remains to be seen if it is 

 really advantageous. 



A new 10-iuch eqnatorial, with an object-glass by jMerz, has been 

 presented to the Geneva- Observatory hj its director. Prof. Emtl Plan- 

 TAiMOUR. It is to be devoted to observations of the major planets and 

 their satellites, of parallax of stars, and of double stars, with occasional 

 observations of minor planets. 



ASTRONOMICAL BIOGRAPHY, BIBLIOGRAPHY, ETC. 



The first number of the new International Journal of Astronomy — 

 Urania, edited by Drs. Copeland and Dreyer, contains in a very con- 

 venient form of 24 demy 4to pages, a number of interesting articles. 

 Among others, are the following papers: "Observations of the Spec- 

 trum of Comet 1880 d. (Hartwig) at Dun Echt," by Copeland and 

 LoHSE. "A New Planetary Nebula," by Dr. Copeland.* "Observa- 

 tions of Comets 1880 b, c, and d, at Dun Echt. " Uber die Auflosung 

 der Latnbert'schen Gleichung fur Parabolische Bahnen," by Professor 



KLINI03RFUES. 



A special reference should be made to the new arrangement given to 

 the tables of the American Ephemeris for 1882 by the superintendent. 

 Prof. Newcomb, by which it has become the most convenient of astro- 

 nomical almanacs. It should have a short Index added to it. 



"Obituary Notices of Astronomers" is the title of a little book by 

 Mr. DuNKiN, in which are collected some obituary notices of Fellows 

 and Associates of the li. A. S., mostly written for the annual report in 

 the INIonthly Notices, but revised, and some of them partly rewritten. 



"liepertoire des constantes de lAstronomie, par M. J. C. IIouzeau," 

 occupies 271 pages in Ito of the Annales de TObscrvatoire Poyal de 

 Bruxelles, Nouvelle Serie, T. I. This is a most wonderfully useful pub- 

 *Tbis is, liowever, uot a new one, baviug bceu discovered by Mr. Burxiiam, iu 1873. 



