ASTRONOMY. 279 



zones (which end at —31°) to (and overlapping) Gilliss' zones, yet unre- 

 duced, which extend from the south pole to 25° S. P. D. and contain 

 some 27,000 stars. 



All the observations (1871-1881) are now reduced, and they make a 

 grand showing. 



Observations. 



For the catalogue ... 121, 000 



Fundamental stars 14, 000 



In the zones 105, 000 



Total - 240, 000 



About half of these were made by Dr. Gould himself. The total num- 

 ber of individual stars is about 73,000 in the zones and 30,000 in the 

 catalogue. The individual observations of the same star made in dif- 

 ferent years agree well, the average discordance being below 0^.10 in 

 K. A. and 2" in Declination. 



One great obstacle to the rapid publication of these volumes is the 

 printing, which has to be done in Buenos Ayres. A meteorological vol- 

 ume (Vol. II) has also just been issued. Dr. Gould may be congratu- 

 lated on the amount of work which he has accomplished in his ten years 

 of exile. His uranometry, his catalogue of fundamental stars, his large 

 catalogue of 30-35,000 stars, and his zones make a showing of which 

 any observatory would be proud. 



The state of our knowledge of the southern sky, so long an unknown 

 region, is becoming satisfactory. The years 1870-1880 have seen great 

 advances. At the Cape of Good Hope, the late Eoj'al astronomer, Mr. 

 E. J. Stone, has printed three catalogues of first-rate importance. 



Ist. The Cape catalogue of 2,892 stars (epoch 1840) from Maclear's 

 observations (1834-'40). 



2d. The Cape catalogue of 1,159 stars (epoch 1800) from Maclear's 

 observations (1856-'61). 



3d. The Cape catalogue of 12,441 stars (epoch 1880) from observations 

 by Mr Stone (1870-'S0). Nearly all of Lacaille's 9,766 stars have been 

 reobserved for this last catalogue. 



From Melbourne we have a fine catalogue (epoch 1870) of 1,227 stars, 

 from observations made by jMr. White (under the direction of Mr. El- 

 lery, Government astronomer) since the observatory was moved from 

 AVilliamstown. 



Lament's catalogue of 5,563 stars (many in southern declination) was 

 published in 1874 and Yarnall's, whicli contains some 6,000 southern 

 stars, in 1878. The next ten years will see the complete publication of 

 Schoenfeld's Durchmustcrung from — 2° to — 23°; its extension from 

 —23° southAvards by Prof. O. Stone, the publication of Gilliss' zones (from 

 0° to 250 S. P. D.) by Professor Harkness at Washington, and of Gould's 

 80,000 zone stars, and verv possibly the publication in catalogue form 

 of the Washington zones (1840-'49), containing 38,000 observations. 



