APPENDIX C XXIII 
to the Society by Mr. Edward Walter Maunder, F.R.A.S., and proved of 
great value for purposes of comparison with and correction of the 
drawings. 
Mr. A. Elvins read a paper on “ World Formation and Dispersion,” 
in which were advanced his views on the building of the chemical mole- 
cule. A short paper on “ The Tides ” was also presented by Mr. Elvins, 
and some interesting notes on spectroscopic observations of the auroral 
arch. The characteristic auroral lines had been seen to be.present in the 
spectrum of the arch as in that of the streamers. 
Mr. Thomas Lindsay read a paper on “ Star Catalogues,” dealing 
with the subject as a chapter in the history of the Greenwich Nautical 
Almanack. By kind permission of Dr. Tyrrell, of Toronto, Mr. Lindsay 
was able to show a chart of the southern skies constructed by Edmund 
Halley in 1676-7-8. The chart had been well preserved for two cen- 
turies, was practically uninjured, and proved a most interesting relic of 
the first attempts in England of strictly accurate work of this character. 
Mr. W. H. S. Monck, F.R.A.S., of Dublin, contributed a paper on 
“Stationary Meteor Radiants,” which was read by the Secretary. A 
valuable list of meteor radiants was embodied in Mr. Monck’s paper. 
The Society had also the pleasure of hearing Dr. J. A. Brashear, 
F.R.A.S., of Allegheny, who, being in Toronto, en route to Muskoka, 
very kindly arranged to address the Society on the subject of “ Diffrac- 
tion Gratings.” The history of the grating and the methods now 
employed in their construction were lucidly sketched, after which the 
Doctor presented to the Society one of Professor Rowland’s gratings 
tuled 14,000 lines to the inch. This valuable instrument was subse- 
quently placed in the hands of Mr. Vice-President Chant, B.A., who, 
continuing the general subject, delivered a lecture on “ The Diffraction 
_ of Light” at the Toronto University. 
Mr. Chant’s lecture was profusely illustrated; among other interest- 
ing slides shown were photographs of early printed pages containing the 
first record of observations of diffraction phenomena. At a subsequent 
meeting, Mr. Chant conducted the experiment of measuring the length 
of a wave of light by means of a grating, and the simple accessions of a 
twelve-inch rule and a piece of string. 
Several members of the Society had arranged to observe the Leonid 
meteors in November, 1899, but no success was attained. Mr. B. 8. 
Mayhew, of Clive, Man., reported having observed a shower of meteors 
on November 25th; these, from the description given, were probably 
Andromedes. 
Preparations for observing the total solar eclipse of May, 1900, occu- 
pied considerable attention among the members of the Society, and two 
