COREESPONDENCE ON ASTRONOMICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. 67 



three nought " (the tenths of minutes being given for right ascensions, 

 but not for other data, as per section 5). 



4. Time of observation to be given in round hours of Greenwich 

 mean time, preceded by day and month, and never in any other way. 

 Thus an observation on October 12, at 13^ Gr. M. T., would be announced 

 " one two October one three;" or Novembers, 7^ Gr. M. T. as " three No- 

 vember nought seven." In this way the time of observation which is to 

 be given first of all will be expressed by the name of the month pre- 

 ceded by one or two numbers, and followed always by two. 



5. Right ascension to follow the date and be given hj five figures ex- 

 pressing hours, minutes, and tenths of minutes, in time, preceded by the 

 word " ascension." 



6. Declinations to be given by four words expressing degrees and 

 minutes, preceded by the word " north" or " south." 



7. Daily motion in R. A. to be given in minutes and tenths of minutes 

 of time, preceded by the word " plus" or " minus." 



8. Daily motion in Decl. to be given in minutes of arc, preceded by 

 the word " north" or " south." 



9. Magnitude, if given, to be preceded by the word " mag." 



Thus, in ordinary cases, the essential numerical data will be con- 

 tained in twenty-four words. 



EXAMPLE. 



" Comet discovered by Swift, Oct. 12. Place, B. A. = 2^ 23™.7 and 

 Decl = -f 35° 2' at 7^ Green w. M. T. Motion— 1^.2 in B. A. and -f 8' 

 in Decl. 12th magnitude." 



DISPATCH. 



" Comet Swift one two October nought seven ascension nought two 

 two three seven north three five nought two minus one two north eight 

 mag one two." 



Professor Krueger (editor of the Astronom. JSFachrichten) undertakes to 

 repeat the dispatch throughout Europe at cost of the Kiel observatory 

 or of the Astronomische Gesellschaft. The Paris and Greenwich ob- 

 servatories, as well as all the German ones, accept the arrangement. 



AcJMOicIedgment from the Smithsonian Institution, October 30, 1880, to 

 Dr. Benjamin A. Gould, 18 Pemberton Sqtcare, Boston. 



Dear Dr. Gould : Tour letter, headed "At Sea, City of Montreal, 

 August 27, 1880," reached me this afternoon, the 30th of October, at 

 apparently a loug interval, if the date is correct. 



I write very hurriedly to express my gratification at the prospect of 

 seeing you again in Washington, and to say that I of course desire to 

 follow the wishes of astronomers at home and abroad in the matter of 



