1896.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 71 



The Section of Astronomy and Physics then organized. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and, after certain 

 corrections as to the record of the paper of H. Jacoby upon an 

 ocular micrometer, were approved. 



The first paper of the evening was by Professor J. K. Rees 

 upon the November Meteoric Shower. Professor Rees gave a 

 very interesting review of the work of Newton, Evans and 

 others, upon the probable orbit and period of the great showers 

 of meteors which were seen in 1833 and 1866, and which are 

 soon due again. Attention was also called to the work of 

 Leverrier, and Oppholtzer in finally settling the period of this 

 swarm at about 33^ years. At the request of Professor Stone, 

 observations were made at all the large observatories, on the 

 nights of last month, to see if by chance an unusual number of 

 meteors should be observed, thus indicating that the swarm had 

 so scattered out that some of the advanced guard would appear 

 even three years ahead of the general mass. The number ob- 

 served by Professor Rees was no greater than the normal and 

 the results were rather negative. 



The paper was discussed by Professors Kemp, Martin, Wood- 

 ward, and others. 



The second paper was by H. C. Parker, upon a Universal 

 Method of Measuring the Electric Current. Mr. Parker showed 

 how it is possible and convenient to measure currents varying 

 from a fraction of a microampere to a megalampere, i. e., from, 

 say a hundred millionth of an ampei'e, to a million amperes, by 

 simply using a voltmeter, or a delicate galvanometer, in connec- 

 tion with a series of shunts. He exhibited a series of such shunts 

 ranging from 0.1 ohm to 0.00005 ohm, which had been determined 

 upon the double bridge with an error not to exceed 0.1 per cent. 



The paper was discussed b_y Professors Van Nardrotf and 

 Hallock. 



W. Hallock then exhibited some mechanical devices by means 

 of which it is possible to illustrate the interference of two 

 beams of light with any desired phase difference ; and another 



