284 



NATURE 



{July 18. 1889 



A FULL bibliography of Russian books and papers on- 

 mathematics and phys'cal sciences since the earliest days of print- 

 ing is being published at Moscow, by V. V. Bobynin. The first 

 instalment of the second volume brings the work down to the 

 year 1774. 



In the new number of Harvard College BuUecin Mr. W. H. 

 Tillinghurst has the following note: — "It is believed that M. 

 Chevreul reached a greater age than any other person who had 

 received a degree from Harvard College, outliving by a year 

 Judge Timothy Farrar (1767), born July 11, 1747, died February 

 21, 1849, at the age of loi years, 7 m:)nths, 10 days, who re- 

 ceived the degree of LL.D. in 1847 on the completion of his 

 one hundredth year. Two graduates of American Colleges have 

 outlived M. Chevreul. Rev. John Sawyer (Dartmouth, 1785), 

 was born October 9, 1755, and died- October 14, 1858, aged 

 103 years, 5 days. He received the degree of D.D. from 

 Dartmouth in 1857, when 102 years of age. But the oldest 

 College graduate in this country known to the writer was 

 Nathan Birdseye (Yale, 1736), who was born August 19, 1714, 

 and died January 28, 1818, aged 103 years, 5 months, 9 

 days." 



Some interesting facts concerning the " element " tellurium 

 have been brought to light by Dr. Brauner, of Prague, during 

 the course of a series of atomic weight determinations, an ac- 

 count of which is given in the July number of the Journal of 

 the Chemical Society. A determination of the atomic weight 

 of tellurium made by Berzelius in 1832 yielded the number 128*3, 

 and a later one in 1857, by von Hauer, gave the value I27'9. 

 Hence 128 has usually been accepted as the true atomic weight. 

 The properties of tellurium, however,, indicate that it belongs to 

 the sulphur group of elements, and that its position in the 

 periodic system lies between that of antimony, of atomic weight 

 120, and iodine, of atomic weight 127. But according to the 

 above determinations the atomic weight of tellurium is higher 

 than that of iodine. Hence we are obliged to admit one of two 

 things : either that the atomic weight of pure elementary tellurium 

 has been incorrectly determined, or that the periodic law of the 

 elements, that grand natural generalization whose distinguished 

 elaborator English chemists have recently been delighting to 

 honour, breaks down in this particular case. In view of the 

 overwhelming mass of experimental evidence which has now 

 accumulated in support of this generalization, the latter assump- 

 tion cannot for a moment be tolerated. The redetermination of 

 Dr. Brauner becomes therefore of primary importance, and his 

 results partake of the highest interest. The mode of procedure 

 which afforded the most satisfactory results consisted in the 

 analysis of tellurium tetrabromide, TeBr4, purified in the most 

 complete manner, by means of silver nitrate prepared from pure 

 silver. The mean atomic weight from these experiments was 

 found to be 127-61, the maximum being I27'63, and the minimum 

 I27"59. Hence there can no longer be any doubt that the 

 substance we term tellurium does possess a combining weight 

 larger than that of iodine. Now comes the question : Is this 

 substance pure elementary tellurium? If it is, then, as Dr. 

 Brauner says, it is " the first element the properties of which are 

 nut a function of its atomic weight." Dr. Brauner, however, 

 finds as the result of a process of fractionation that it is not pure 

 tellurium, and that it consists of probably three elements, pure 

 tellurium mixed with smaller quantities of two other elements of 

 higher atomic weights ; and he is at present engaged in studying 

 the nature of these foreign substances, and in the endeavour to 

 isolate pure tellurium itself. A few of the a> yet unpublished 

 results obtained in these latter researches were communicated 

 personally by Dr. Brauner at the meeting of the Chemical Society 

 on June 6, and among them the interesting fact was stated that 

 one of the new elements is probably identical with Prof. 



Mendeleeff's recently predicted dwitellurium, of atomic weight 

 214, the other new constituent being an element closely allied to 

 arsenic and antimony. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Poe Honey-eater {Prosthemadera nova- 

 zealandice) from New Zealand, presented by Mr. Alfred M. 

 Simon ; two Razorbills {Alca tarda), two Guillemots \Lomvia 

 troile), British, presented by Mr. W. B. Roberts ; a White- 

 throated Monitor {Varanus albogularis) from South Africa, pre- 

 sented by Mr. H. L. Jones ; a Macaque Monkey {Maeaeus cyno- 

 molgus) from India, two Argus Pheasants (Argus glganteus 6 9) 

 from Malacca, a Military Macaw (Ara militaris) from South 

 America, deposited ; an Indian Coucal {Centropus rtifipennis) 

 from India, two Diamond Snakes {Morella spilotes) from New 

 South Wales, received in exchange. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Comet 1889 d (Brooks, July 6). — The comet reported in 

 Nature of July 11 (p. 255) as having been discovered by Swift 

 on July 5 appears to have been an observation of Barnard's 

 comet of 1888 September 2, there having been an error in the 

 transmitted position. The position should have been : — 



R.A. 2ih. 24m. 20s. N.P.D. 89° 11'. 



A faint comet was discovered by Brooks on July 6. 



July 6790 G.M.T. : R.A. 23h. 44m. 8s, ; N.P.D. 99° 9'. A 

 rough approximation by Brooks. 



July 8-9561 G.M.T. ; R.A. 23° 46' 26" ; N.P.D. 98' 55' 57". 

 Observation by Barnard. Comet, slightly elongated, i' in 

 diameter, 1 1 mag. or fainter. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 



WEEK 1889 JULY 21-27. 



/"pOR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencmg at 



^ Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 



is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on July 21 

 Sun rises, 4h. lom. ; souths, I2h. 6m. 8 ■4s. ; daily increase o^ 

 southing, 2'8s. ; sets, 2oh. im. : right asc. on meridian, 

 8h. 3 ■9m. ; deck 20° 24' N. Sidereal Time at Sunset, 

 i6b. om. 

 Moon (two days after Last Quarter) rises, 23h. 54m.* ; souths, 

 7h. om. ; sets, I4h. 19m. : right asc. on meridian, 

 2h. 56'6m. ; decl. 12° 12' N. 



Right asc. and declination 

 Planet. Rises. Souths. Sets. on meridian. 



h. m. h. m. h. m. h. m. q ^ 

 Mercury.. 2 42 ... 10 51 ... 19 o ... 6 49*0 ... 22 23 N. 



Venus I 4 ... 8 53 ... 16 42 ... 4 49*9 ... 19 22 N. 



Mars 3 13 ... II 25 ... 19 39 ... 7 23*5 ... 23 o N. 



Jupiter..., 18 7 ... 22 I ... I 55*... 18 o*9 ... 23 21 S. 

 Saturn.... 6 9 ... 13 35 ... 21 i ... 9 33-3 ... 15 43 N. 

 Uranus... 11 39 ... 17 9 ... 22 39 ... 13 S'o ... 6 34 S. 

 Neptune., o 23 ... 8 12 .. 16 i ... 4 9"i ... 19 22 N. 



• Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening and the setting 

 that of the following morning. 



Variable Stars. 

 Star. R.A. Decl. 



h. m. o ' h. m. 



5 Librae 14 55-1 ... 8 5 S. ... July 25, 2 57 m 



n Coronse 15 137 ... 32 3 N. ... ,, 27, 2 38 ot 



U Herculis 16 20-9 ... 19 9 N. ... ,, 22, m 



If Ophiuchi 17 10-9 ... I 20 N. ... ,, 23, 22 31 m 



X Sagittarii 17 40-6 .. 27 47 S. ... ,, 21, 23 o M 



W Sagittarii ... 17 579 ... 29 35 S. ... ,, 23, 23 oM 



U Sagittarii 18 25-6 ... 19 12 S. ... ,, 26, i o m 



R Scuti 1841-6... 5 50 S. ... „ 23, M 



/8 Lyrse 18 46-0 ... 33 14 N. ... ,, 24, 23 30 ./I/ 



R Lyrse 18 52-0 ... 43 48 N , 21, M 



U Aquilae 19 23-4 ... 7 16 S. ... ,, 24, 21 o tn ^ 



rj Aquilse 19 468 ... O 43 N , 26, 23 oMm 



S Delphini 20 380 ... 16 41 N. ... ,, 26, M * 



X Cygni 20 391 ... 35 11 N. ... ,, 24, 2 oM 



T Vulpeculse ... 20 46*8 ... 27 50 N. ... ,, 21, 23 o m 



5 Cephei 22 25-1 ... 57 51 N. ... ,, 23, o o m 



M signifies maximum ; tn nunimum. 



