PROCEEDINGS FOR 1897 Li 



X. — From The Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto^ throuo-h 



Sir S. Fleming. 



The seventh annual meeting of the society was held in the rooms, 

 Technical School Building, Toronto, on January 5th, 1897. 



The following were elected by acclamation : 



Hon. President, Hon. G. W. Eoss, LL.D., Minister of Education. 



President, John A. Paterson, M.A. 



Vice-Presidents, Arthur Harve}-, F.E.S.C; E. E. Stupart, Director 

 Toronto Observatoiy. 



Treasurer — James Todhunter. 



Corresponding Secretary, Geo. E. Lumsden ; Eecording Secretary. 

 George P. Sparling. 



AssLstant-Secretary and Editor, Thomas Lindsay. 



Librarian, W. B. Musson. 



The following is a brief review of the work done by the members 

 in 189b', and of papers published in full or in absti-act in volume Vll. of 

 the transactions. 



A paper on the " Precipitation of Eain " was presented by Mr. John 

 Hollingworth, of Beatrice, Muskoka, who reached the conclusion drawn 

 from a long series of observations that the deforesting of lands in 

 Ontario had not had the elteel of diminishing the rainfall. 



Ob.servations of Jupiter were reported at considerable length bv 

 Dr. J. J. Wadsworth, of Simcoe. Ont. The instrument used had been a 

 12-inch reflector. Sketches of vai-ious celestial objects had been made 

 by the doctor and his friends. Towards the end of the year Dr. AA^ads- 

 Avorth had been successful in bringing into the field of active work a 

 small party of lady artists who had become interested in sketching the 

 lunar surface as seen in the telescope. This was a class of work valuable 

 in itself, and for Avhich it was thought ladies were particularly suited. 



The society was much pleased to receive from His Lordship, the 

 Bishop of Moosonee, a detailed account of observations of the aurora? 

 made at a far northern station. Mr. Mcolson, who makes the time 

 observations at Moose Factory, sent also a classification of the auror», 

 illustrating b}' reference to the disturbances noted between September, 

 1895, and March, 1896. 



An occultation of a faint star in Cancer by the planet Jupiter had 

 been j)redicted for May 22nd at 15 h. 2m. Greenwich mean time, and ef- 

 forts were made to observe the phenomenon at several stations in Canada. 

 Eeports were received from Mr. F. L. Blake at Toronto Observatoiy, 

 Dr. J. C. Donaldson at Fergus, and Dr. J. J. Wadsworth at Simcoe. All 

 had seen the star until within a few minutes of the time of contact, but 

 the actual disappearance was not observed. The failure was attributed 

 to the fact that the planet was low in the horizon and the air unsteady 



