286 Proceedings of Metropolitan Societies. | April, 
in which the writer forwarded some notes on the two component stars 
of 95 Herculis. The instruments used were a 31-inch acromatie with 
80, and a 4-inch with 115: both by Cooke of York. Mr. Higgens 
observed these stars in April, May, and August last, and witnessed 
some remarkable changes in their apparent colour. From the fact of 
both stars appearing to change their colour simultaneously, the Astro- 
nomer Royal thought it implied some possible change in the telescope. 
Capt. Noble, and C. L. Prince, Hsq., communicated their observa- 
tions of Venus at the Inferior Conjunction ; the latter gentleman also 
his observations of the occultation of « Cancri by the Moon, on the 
26th April 1863. 
Sir A. Lang sent some observations made in the Island of St. 
Croix, at the rising of the sun, with a view to determine the Refrac- 
tion: also, some notes on remarkable sun-spots in 1862-63. 
The elements of the new Minor Planet (9, 10th magnitude, dis- 
covered by Mr. Watson, Director of the Ann Arbour Observatory, 
were also given. 
An extract from a letter to Mr. De La Rue, from Dr. Winnecke, 
was read, which went to show the probability of the variableness of 
light of some of the feebler stars about the neighbourhood of the Tra- 
pezium in the great Nebula of Orion. 
The translation of a paper by P. A. Hansen, “ Calculation of the 
Sun’s Parallax from the Lunar Theory,” was communicated by Mr. Airy. 
The result gave 8.9159 as the Parallax. = 
Results of the meridional observations of small Planets, Angelina 
64 and Cybele 63); also occultation of stars by the Moon; and 
Phenomena of Jupiter’s satellites; made at the Royal Observatory, 
were given by the Astronomer Royal. 
New Elements of Leto were communicated by Dr. Luther, of 
Berlin. 
The Elements and Ephemeris of Comet IV, and notes of observa- 
tions of Comet IV and V, 1863, by H. Romberg, were communicated 
by J. G. Barclay, Esq., at whose observatory they were made. 
Mr. E. J. Stone presented a paper, “ On the Motion of the Solar 
System in Space,’ forming a supplement to one on the same subject 
read by the Astronomer Royal, at the meeting, March 11, 1859. 
“On the Eclipses recorded in the Ancient Chinese Historical Work 
called Chun Tsew,” is the title of a paper by the Assistant Secretary, 
J. Williams, Esq. “The Chun Tsew,” writes Mr. Williams, “is said 
to be the only work really written by Kung Foo Tze, or, as we call 
him, Confucius ; the other treatises attributed to him having been com- 
piled by his disciples, either during his lifetime, or, as in the last of 
them, some years after his death. It treats of the history of Le Kwo, 
or Confederated Nations, into which China was divided during the 
during the Chow Dynasty, viz. between 1122 and 255 B. 0.” 
“The period of this history is from 722 to 479 B.c., being an 
interval of about 242 years, during the latter part of which Confucius 
flourished.” . . . “The account of each eclipse is but little more than 
a brief mention of its occurrence at a certain time.” 
