202 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1884. 



numbers are largely devoted to reviews of publislied work. Some of 

 tliese reviews are of the highest order. To quote ouly recent ones, we 

 may name Schoenfeld's review oi Dreyers paper on the constant of pre- 

 cession, and Auwers' review of Grant's Glasgow catalogue. 



The German Astronomical Society is also concerned in the publica- 

 tion of the Astronomische Nachrichten, both directly and through its 

 member, Professor Krueger, the editor. 



The new impulse is plainly evident in the editing of this journal, 

 which is of the best kind, as will be evident to all its readers and con- 

 tributors. Nothing passes without scrutiny, and, in a way, the editor 

 makes himself responsible for the accuracy of the articles printed. 



On the theory of editing which is adopted, nothing could be more per- 

 fect.* 



Copernicus, which had reached its third year of publication, has lately 

 been discontinued, to the regret of all interested in the maintainauce of 

 high-class journals. But even before its last number it found a worthy 

 successor in the Bulletin Astronomi'que, published by MM. Tisserand, 

 Radau, Bigourdan, and Callandreau, in Paris. This journal has at once 

 taken a verj' high rank. It contains observations, usually such as are 

 made at French observatories, just as the Astronomische JS'achrichten 

 contains series of observations from all over the world. The Bulletin 

 also i^ublishes papers on special subjects, but its distinctive feature is 

 monthly abstracts of other scientific journals, in which the articles cited 

 are accompanied by very full and complete reviews. In this way the 

 Bulletin does for France what the Nachrichten and the Vierteljaiirsschrift 

 do for Germany, and what the Monthly Notices does for England. The 

 same thing was attempted by Science, in this country, but finally aban- 

 doned — unfortunately. England has, moreover, two special journals 

 the Observatory and the Astronomical Register, which cover slightly dif- 

 ferent fields J Germany has Sirius, and L^'rance has the new journal of 

 Flammarion, L'' Astronomic. In this country we have had the Sidereal 

 Messenger of Mitchell, the Astronomical Notices of Brueunow, and the 

 Astronomical Journal of Gould, all of which are now discontinued. 



The Sidereal Messenger, published by Carleton College Observatory, 

 is our only astronomical journal at this writing. 



A new astronomical journalA — An astronomical serial, under the 

 auspices of the Observatory of Paris, will be a welcome addition to 

 the literature of the science, and may well be expected to occupy a 

 prominent place on the list of such periodicals. 



Admiral Mouchez, in his introductory note, alludes to the great im- 

 petus which has been lately given in France to the progress of astron- 

 omy by the establishment or resuscitation of observatories, aided as well 

 by national funds as by contributions from the municij)al authorities 



* Compare Bessel's Becensionen, p. 254. 



t Bulletin Astronomique, public sous les auspices de I'Observatoire de Paris, par 

 M. F. Tinserand, etc. (Paris, Gautliier-Villars, 1884.) 



