384 Mr. A. J. Ellis. Tonometrical Observations on [Nov. 20, 



seems to be much used in accompaniments, judging from some music 

 written for it in Japan, on the European staff, the original of which 

 I saw. The diameters of the strings, which seemed to be of hard- 

 corded silk, taken by one of Elliott's micrometer gauges, were 1'65, 

 ]*37, 1'06, and 0'88 mm. in diameter respectively. The variations of 

 interval, however, with the thickness of the string appear not to 

 follow any precise law. The frets were high and about 5 mm. wide 

 of the top, made of hard wood. I was very careful to press on the 

 top of the fret, so that the tension of the string might not be 

 increased, and the action should take place from the edge of the fret 

 nearest the bridge. But possibly I may not always have pressed 

 near enough to the edge, so that the string was slightly lengthened 

 and the pitch flattened. Of course nothing like such accuracy would 

 l>e reached by the player. 



Lengths 843 750 709 673 637 mm. 



From lengths I 202 II 97 III 90 IV 95 V 



Sums 202 299 389 484 



Lowest tiring. 



Vib 166 189 201 211 223 



Fromvib I 225 II 107 III 84 IV 96 V 



Sums 225 332 416' 512 



Second lowest string. 



Vib 167 190 203 214 223 



From vib I 223 II 115 III 91 IV 71 V 



Sums 223 338 429 500 



Second highest string. 



Vib 226 253 272 286 301 



Fromvib I 195 II 125 III 87 IV 89 V 



Sums 195 320 407 496 



Highest string. 



Vib 300 339 361 381 401 



Fromvib I 212 II 109 III 93 IV 8& V 



Sums 212 321 414 503 



Mean from vib I 214 II 114 III 89 IV 86 V 



Sums of mean 214 328 417 503 



Possibly I 204 II 114 III 90 IV 90 V 



Sums 204 318 408 498 



* 



Hence the division was probably meant for Pythagorean, the last 

 sums giving C D B$ E F, which should have been C D E\y E F, that 

 is, the second Semitone should have been of 114 cents, and the first of 

 i*0 cents. Now it appears from the Report of Mr. Isawa, Director of 

 the Institute of Music, Tokio, Japan (founded October, 1878), an 

 English translation of which, prepared at the Institute, was in the 

 Section, that Japanese theory considers its Semitones to be 12 equal 



