March 2, 1876J 



NATURE 



349 



in our possession, and will admit of more accurate reduc- 

 tion than has yet been effected ; while a more complete 

 computation of the perturbations with the improved 

 values for the masses of the disturbing planets must tend 

 to diminish the uncertainty that at present exists wth 

 regard to the possible error of Bessel's determination of 

 the date of next passage through perihelion. If this 

 should fall about 1887, February 9, as he computed, we 

 might expect that the comet would be detected in Sep- 

 tember previous in the constellation Monoceros ; its 

 intensity of light would gradually increase until its nearest 

 approach to the earth (0-5) at the end of the year, when 

 it might be a conspicuous naked eye object in Ursa 

 Major, within 20" N.P.D., and jxjssibly it would be ob- 

 sen'able till the following May. Subjoined are figures 

 which \\'ill enable any reader who is interested in the 

 matter to trace the comet's course more precisely, upon 

 the above supposition as to perihelion passage. 



R.A. N.P.D. Disunce from 



. Earth. 



1886, Oct, 2 ... 970 ... 83-6 ... 1-90 

 ,, Nov. I ... io6-8 ... 78-2 ... 1-25 

 ,, Dec. I ... 1177 ... 6i-o ... 072 



„ 21 ... 131-1 ... 33-3 ... 0-52 

 „ „ 31 ... 151-9 ... 17-3 ... 0-51 



1887, Jan. 10 ... 2i6-8 ... 10-5 ... 0*55 



„ 30 -• 272-3 ... 23-2 ... 069 

 ,, March i ... 278-8 ... 34-2 ... oSS 

 ,, April 10 ... 2654 ... 41-4 ... o'95 

 ,, May 10 ... 245-5 ••• 530 •■• I'Oi 

 Minor Planet, No. 160. — A telegram to the Astro- 

 nomer Royal, through the Smithsonian Institution, no- 

 tifies the discovery of another smaU planet on February 

 25, in R.A. loh. i6m, N.P.D. 75° 28' ; eleventh magnitude. 

 The Binary Star w Leonis, — Dr. Doberck, of Col. 

 Cooper's Obser\'ator)', Markree Castle, Sligo, publishes 

 in Ast. Nach., No. 2,078, provisional elements of this 

 interesting star, viz., peri-astron passage, 1842-77 ; node, 

 151' 34'; node to peri-astron on the orbit, 122"^ 54'; in- 

 clination, 65° 22' ; excentricity, 0*5028 ; period of revolu- 

 tion, io7'62 years. 



SCIENCE AND ART IN IRELAND 



IN our number for Februar}- 17, we reprinted from 

 the Times an article on the proposed action of the 

 Government in connection with the Scientific Institutions 

 in Dublin. That article contained the substance of 

 Lord Sandon's letter which was forwarded both to his 

 Grace the President of the Royal Dublin Society and 

 to the President of the Royal Irish Academy. This letter 

 was laid before the Irish Academy at their meeting of 

 the 14th Feb., and was by them referred to the Council 

 of the Academy. This latter body ha\'ing in several 

 meetings fully considered the whole subject, submitted to 

 the Academy on Monday evening, the 28th Feb., the fol- 

 lowing Resolutions : — 



" I. That the Royal Irish Academy is desirous of co- 

 operating with Her Majesty's Government in the measures 

 necessary for the establishment of a National Science and 

 Art Museum in Dublin, provided that the independence 

 and usefulness of the Academy be not injuriously 

 affected by such measures. 



" 2. That, while we consent to the transfer of our 

 Museum to the Government, we think that its arrange- 

 ment, as well as the purchase of additions, should be 

 done through the Academy. 



" 3. That, in thus assenting to the transfer of its Mu- 

 "seum to the Government, the Academy also thinks that 

 adequate provision should be made for the continued 

 acquisition of Irish Antiquities, which may hereafter be 

 discovered or offered for sale ; and that the collection of 

 the Academy, together with such other Irish antiquities 

 as shall be added to it, should be for ever kept apart from 

 Miscellaneous Art collections in the possession of the 

 Government, and be permanently maintained as a Mu- 



seum of our National Antiquities, no portion of its con- 

 tents being ever removed from the City of Dublin. 



" 4. That, considering the position which the Academy 

 has long held, and will continue to hold, as the first 

 Scientific, Literary, and Antiquarian Society of the 

 country, the proportional representation proposed to be 

 given to it on the Board of Visitors (sect, 12 of Lord 

 Sandon's letter), is altogether inadequate ; and the Aca- 

 demy further think that no paid official of the Science 

 and Art Department should [be eligible to act as a repre- 

 sentative on the Board. 



"5. That, as the Academy is making a substantial 

 concession in respect to its Museimi, there should be 

 provided in the yearly estimates, as laid before Parlia- 

 ment, instead of the several sums now a- nually votrd, a 

 sum of 2,000/., to enable the Academy to discharge more 

 completely its functions as a Scientific, Literar>', and Anti- 

 quarian body, by making grants in aid of original re- 

 search, by publishing the results of such research, by main- 

 taining a library specially adapted to assist learned investi- 

 gation, and by editing and printing ancient IrishTexts. 



" 6, That the Academy should be accountable, as at 

 present, to her Majesty's Treasury, through the Irish 

 Government, for the sum to be thus voted by Parliament, 

 and should not be subject, in the conduct of its affairs, 

 or the expenditure of its grants, to any control on the 

 part of the Science^ and Art Department, or any of its 

 officers." 



After some discussion the Academy adjourned to the 

 6th of March, when it is probable that the resolutions of 

 the Council may be adopted by the Academy, and a 

 deputation appointed to confer with her ^Majesty's Go- 

 vernment on the subject. 



The Council of the Royal Dublin Society have also, 

 we understand, drawn up a report with resolutions, to be 

 submitted to a special meeting of the Society which is to 

 be held to-morrow. 



We hope in our next number to be able to report the 

 resolutions come to by both bodies, and in the meanwhile 

 refrain from making'^any comments on the subject 



THE LOAN EXHIBITION OF SCIENTIFIC 

 APPARATUS 



A MEETING of the General Committee for this 

 approaching Exhibition was held on Thursday last 

 at the Science Schools, South Kensington Museum. The 

 chair was taken by the Lord- President of the Council, 

 the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, the Vice-President, 

 Lord Sandon, M.P., sitting at his side. Many well-known 

 representatives of science were present. 



The Lord-President spoke as follows : — 



" It gives me very great pleasure to meet you at the 

 expiration of some twelve months since we first assembled 

 to set in motion a plan for holding a scientific exhibition, 

 and I am happy to be able to congratulate you upon the 

 success which has attended your efforts. The exhibition 

 promises to be the most brilliant one of the kind that has 

 ever taken place in this country. Indeed, I doubt very 

 much whether there has ever been any exhibition in Eng- 

 land at all approaching in importance or merit the one 

 which is to be held within the next few months ; and I 

 cannot refrain from tendering the thanks of her Majesty's 

 Government to those gentlemen who by their exertions 

 in bringing about this exhibition have contributed so 

 much to the success which we hope will follow. We 

 appreciate the efforts of those gentlemen the more because 

 we know that, engaged as they are in various scientific 

 pursuits, the time which they have devoted to this matter 

 must have caused them considerable inconvenience, 

 and only their love of science could have induced 

 them to render the services which they have done for the 

 canying out of the object. It is also gratifying to find 

 that this exhibition has met with such a large amount of 

 favour in dl parts of the Continent, and more especially 



