ASTRONOMY. 



By William C. Winlock, 



Assistant Astronomer, United States Naval Ohservatorij. 



The following record of the progress of Astronomy during the year 

 1885 is in continuation of the records of past years, and it is given in 

 essentially the same form. The annual review of astronomy has pre- 

 viously been prepared by Prof. Edward S. Holden, formerly director of 

 the Washburn Observatory, Madison, Wis.; and the manuscript of the 

 review for 1885 was entirely prepared by him in October and November 

 of that year. Very unfortunately all but a small portion of this manu- 

 script was lost in transferring Professor Holden's library from Madison^ 

 to California, and Professor Uolden, unable, on account of pressing of- 

 ficial dnties, to repair the loss, has asked me to make up the deficiency. 

 This I have attempted to do, but wish to record the circumstances here, 

 in order that I may plead the brief time available as an excuse for any 

 shortcomings that may be fonnd. 



This record is primarily intended for the large and increasing class of. 

 those who have a general rather than a special interest in the progress 

 of Astronomy, but it may be of use to professional astronomers also, as a 

 convenient collection of reviews and notes. Abstracts of some of the 

 most important papers are given, while other papers can appear by title 

 only. As in previous years free use has been made of reviews, &c., in 

 all accessible periodicals, particularly of those in The Observatory, Bul- 

 letin Astronomique, Nature, The Athenaeum, and Science, and it is hoped 

 that where specific reference to the source of information has been im- 

 practicable, this general acknowledgment will be accepted. 



W. C. W. 



COSMOGONY. 



Faye : Sur VOrigine du Monde. Theories cosmogoniques des Anciens et 

 des Modernes. Paris: Oauthier-Villars, ISSi. 8«o.—" Cosmic hypoth- 

 eses vary from time to time: they have their history, in which they re- 

 flect the progress of human iutelligence. At first closely connected with 

 religious ideas, they have little by little lost their sacred character, and 

 have become simple questions of celestial mechanics and general physics. 



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