172 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1887 AND 1888. 



serviitions have been coutiuued during the past two years, and consider- 

 able progress has also been made with a series of microraetric measures 

 of all stars in Bradley and Argelander, which have an annual proper 

 motion of at least 0".l, with companions not below the tenth magnitude, 

 and distance not greater than :V. 



Dresden {K. math. Salon). — Meteorological observations and a local 

 time service. 



i)w«ec/t«.— Spectroscopic work has consisted of measures upon stars 

 and nebulfB and a study of the low-sun atmospheric lines, as seen from 

 an observing station established upon a neighboring hill. Circulars of 

 astronomical information, the weekly firing of the time-gun, and the 

 daily meteorological observations have been continued as in former 

 years. A catalogue of the library is in press. 



BunsinTc. — The meridian circle has been devoted to observations of a 

 list of about 1,000 stars suspected of large proper motion. Part vi of 

 "Observations" was issued in 18S8, containing the observations from 

 1881 to 1885 made with the meridian circle on 1,012 stars of the south- 

 ern Durchmusterung requiring re observation. 



Dilsseldorf. — Observations of comets and asteroids and ephemerides 

 of the latter. 



Ealing.— Mv. Common has completed his Sfoot reflector. 



Edinburgh.— Prof. C. Piazzi Smyth resigned in Augtist, 1888, the ap- 

 pointments (which he has held since 1840) of regius professor of prac- 

 tical astronomy in the University of Edinburgh and astronomer royal 

 for Ireland, and he has given a very discouraging account of the finan- 

 cial condition of the institution. T)r. Ralph Copeland, of the Dun Echt 

 Observatory, has been appointed as his successor. 



Geneva.— In addition to the regular work of rating chronometers and 

 watches, observations have been made of comets, ofnebuhie, and of the 

 rings of Saturn. A series of observations made by Plantamour and 

 von Oppolzer, in 1881, for the purpose of determining the difference of 

 longitude between Geneva and Vienna, have been discussed, giving a 

 mean value of the difference of longitude of 40'" U\64. (Geneva west of. 

 Vienna). 



Geneva {New lorlc). — Mr. William Smith built in 1888 a small private 

 observatory, which he has placed in charge of Mr. W. R. Brooks, well 

 known for his discoveries of comets. The instrumental equipment is 

 as follows: equatorial refractor, objective, by Clacey, of lOi inches 

 aperture and 9 feet 9 inches focal length, with a photographic corrector 

 of the same aperture. The mounting is by Warner & Swasey, and em- 

 bodies numerous convenient devices. There is a large Gundlach peri- 

 scopic comet eye-piece of 3 inches equivalent focus, with a silvered flat 

 diagonal of 3^ inches, a position micrometer, polarizing eye piece, uni- 

 versal Brashear spectroscope fitted with grating and prisms, and suited 

 for stellar, solar, or laboratory work. The meridian circle is by Warner 



