ASTRONOMY. 161 



with Balmain's liimiDOus paint, inserted imttiediately beliiu<l tUe meas- 

 uring pointer, has been frequently employed to give a phosphorescent 

 illumination of the field." 



Gautier's mercury-basin for nadir and reflection observations, de- 

 scribed in last year's report, has been tried at the Melbourne Observa- 

 tory, and gives highly satisfactory results. 



We have already referred, in the report of the Liclc Observatory, to 

 the completion of the SG-inch objective and its removal to Mount 

 Hamilton. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Astronomical prizes. — At the meeting of the Paris Academy of Science 

 on December 27, 1888, the Lalande prize was awarded to Dr. Back! and 

 for his work on Encke's comet; the Valz prize to M. G. Bigourdan for 

 investigation of personal equation in the measurement of double stars; 

 the Damoiseau prize to M. Souillart for his theoretical researches on 

 Jupiter's satellites, and an ^^ encouragement^^ of 1,000 francs to M. 

 Obrecht for his study of the application of photometry to the eclipses 

 of Jupiter's satellites. The Bordin prize was awarded to M. R. Kadaa 

 for his work on the theory of astronoaiical refraction. 



The gold medal of the Eoyal Astronomical Society was awarded to 

 Mr. G. W. Hill for his researches on the motion of the moon. 



Tlie Kumford medal of the Eoyal Society, the Rumford gold and silver 

 medals of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Draper 

 medal of the National Academy were awarded to Prof. S. P. Langley 

 for his researches with the bolometer. 



The Watson medal of the National Academy, with an honorarium of 

 $1(10, was awarded to Dr. B, A. Gould. 



Tlie Eoyal Society of Edinburgh awarded the Makdougall-Brisbane 

 prize to Dr. Edward Sang for his communication on the need for decimal 

 subdivisions in astronomy and navigation. 



The Warner prizes, $100 for each comet discovered (and announced 

 under certain conditions), were conferred, in 1886, as follows: Mr. 

 Brooks, $300; Mr. Finlay, $100; Mr. Barnard, $100. 



The American Astronomical Society of Broolcbjn. — Among the papers 

 read in 188G were: "The Earth's Temperature," by H. M. Parkhurst; 

 "Faye's Nebular Speculations," by G. P. Swviss; "Origin of Meteor- 

 ites,'^ by G. W. Coakley and H. M. Parkhurst. The president of the 

 society is Mr. S. V. White, the secretary, Mr. G. P. Serviss, Brooklyn, 

 New York. 



Baltimore Amateur Astronomical Society. — A number of gentlemen 

 of Baltimore have organized an amateur astronomical society, meet- 

 ing each month for the presentation of papers and discussion of obser- 

 vations. Dr. Hooper, 1425 Linden avenue, the secretary, has a 5-inch 

 Clark equatorial; Mr. Gildersleeve a 6-inch equatorial with object- 

 glass by Dr. C. S. Hastings ; Mr, Stahn a l-inch glass, a so by Dr. 

 H. Mis. GOO 11 



