♦Se Reviews, and Notices 7-especiing New Books. 



Tables, lettered from A to E; the first is a Table of Zach's, giving the 

 horizontal parallax of each of the ten planets, and also their apparent 

 diameters : the remaining four relate to the aberrations of the|planets 

 in latitude and longitude depending on the eccentricity of their re- 

 spective orbits. 



We apprehend that all the Tables of the planets are very far from 

 being in a state of perfection ; and we are glad to find that the 

 Plumian Professor of the University of Cambridge, who fills the im- 

 portant and distinguished office of principal astronomer in the mag- 

 nificent observatory recently erected there, has expressed his deter- 

 mination of paying attention to this much neglected department of 

 astronomy. Without making any further comments of our own on 

 this subject, we will quote the very pertinent and just remarks made 

 by the Plumian Professor, Mr. Airy, in his Preface to the first volume 

 of the Cambridge Observations: "The part of astronomy which 

 appeared to me to have been most neglected, at least in the observa- 

 tions of this country, is the observation of the planets. And the 

 deficiency in this respect is most deplorable. In the published ob- 

 servations of our national establishment, there is not a sufficient 

 number of observations of the planets to assist, in any material degree, 

 in improving their theory. And any one who wished to revise the 

 planetary Tables would now find himself nearly destitute of the ne- 

 cessary data upon which to found his investigations. As soon, there- 

 fore, as the Cambridge Observatory was placed under my direction, 

 I determined to make the observation of the planets the leading 

 object of my labours. And I was further led to do this by the con- 

 sideration that my own personal exertions would probably be suffi- 

 cient to accomplish the greatest part of this undertaking; but that, 

 unassisted as I was, I could not hope to complete any plan of a 

 more extensive nature." We most cordially wish this learned gen- 

 tleman success to his labours in this much neglected field of science, 

 the intricacies of which he, on account of his very great talents, is 

 so peculiarly qualified to unravel. 



Our author's next Table, headed Velocitif of Light, is perfectly 

 plain in its construction and use. Then come seven Tables relating 

 to the mean places of the pole star; and we refer our readers to the 

 work for their use and explanation. The next two Tables are of 

 considerable use in adjusting the meridian position of the transit 

 instrument. The first is a catalogue of circumpolar stars, to be 

 observed both at their upper and lower culminations. Dr. Pearson 

 has given another Table for the same purpose, to which we also refer, 

 containing a collection of stars of nearly the same right ascension, 

 but having declinations of opposite denominations. After these come 

 a few Tables, for different purposes, with which the volume in its 

 original form closes. Among these additional Tables we find Schu- 

 macher's cataloejue and constants for 500 stars, and also the second 

 series of Tables by the late Cape Astronomer. 



With these Tables the work in its original form concludes. — Since 

 its publication, however, the author has made a large addition to it 



