i6 



NATURE 



{Sept. 19, 1889 



NOTES. 



The International Congress of Astronomy commenced its 

 sittings in Brussels on the loth inst., under the presidency of M. 

 Hugo Gylden, Director of the Observatory of Stockholm. Among 

 the English members are Mr. Downing, of the Greenwich Obser- 

 vatory, and Mr. Ranyard, of London. The Minister of Railways 

 welcomed the Congress in the name of the Belgian Government. 

 Munich has been fixed as the place for the next meeting. 



Information has come from the United States of terrible 

 •wind and rain storms on the loth, nth, and 12th inst., all along 

 the North Atlantic coast, doing immense damage. Coincidently 

 with this came the report of serious internal disturbances in the 

 Yellowstone region, putting the entire geyser system in a violent 

 outbreak. Several long dormant geysers are in a state of furious 

 activity. 



A CIRCULAR from the Local Government Board to all the 

 District Boards and Vestries in the Metropolis, an order pre- 

 scribing a form of notification for use by medical practitioners, 

 and a memorandum for their guidance, have been issued, under 

 the provisions of the Infectious Disease (Notification) Act, 1889. 

 The Act comes into force in the Metropolis on October 30. 



The subject for the Sedgwick Prize Essay at Cambridge to be 

 awarded in 1892 is " On Fossil Plants as Tests of Climatic Con- 

 ditions." The prize is open to .all graduates of the University 

 •of Cambridge who shall have resided sixty days during the 

 twelve months preceding October i, 1891. The essays must be 

 sent to the Registrary of the University on or before October i, 

 1891, each bearing some motto and accompanied by a sealed 

 paper bearing the same motto and inclosing the name and 

 College of the candidate. 



We have received from Reykjavik a copy of the rules of a 

 Society just established there, under the presidentship of Prof. 

 B. Grcindal, called the Icelandic Naturalists' Society, the chief 

 aim of which is to found a museum of natural history for Ice- 

 land, to be the property of the country. For this purpose it is 

 not only intended to collect specimens of the fauna, flora, and 

 mineral deposits of Iceland, but also to obtain by exchange, or 

 in any other convenient manner, specimens from abroad. 



The Times of India reports that a meteorological observatory is 

 to be established at Perim, at the Aden entrance to the Red Sea. 

 The annual examination, held under the direction of the State 

 Medicine Syndicate, from the result of which diplomas in public 

 health are granted, will commence at Cambridge on Tuesday, 

 October i. Any person whose name is on the Medical Register 

 ■of the United Kingdom may present himself, provided that he 

 is in his twenty-fourth year at least when he presents himself for 

 the first part of the examination, and has attained twenty-four 

 years of age when he presents himself for the second part. The 

 examination in each part occupies two days, and is oral and 

 practical as well as in writing. Candidates may present them- 

 selves in either part separately or for both together at their 

 ■option, but the result of the examination in the case of any 

 •candidate will not be published until he has passed both parts. 

 Every candidate who has passed both parts receives a diploma ■ 

 testifying to his competent knowledge of what is required for the 

 ■duties of a medical officer of health. All applications for ad- 

 mission to the examination, or for information respecting it, 

 should be addressed without delay to Dr. Anningson, Barton 

 Road, Cambridge. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Crested Porcupine {Hystrix crislata) from 

 India, two Nicobar Pigeons {Calcenas iticobarica) from the Indian 

 Archipelago, two Rose-crested Cockatoos {Cacatua moluccensis) 

 from Moluccas, a Fork-tailed Jungle Fowl {Callus varius i ) 

 from Java, presented by Mr. Charles Clifton, F.Z. S. ; a Sinaitic 

 Ibex {Capra sinaitica <J ) from the Erba Mountains, Suakin, 

 p resented by Sir James Anderson ; a Zorilla ( ) from Suakin. 



presented by Captain W. W. Bevant ; a Vinous Fruit Pigeon 

 (Carpophaga rufigula) from the Solomon Islands, presented by 

 Mr. C. M. Woodford ; a Wood Owl {Syrnium aluco), British, 

 presented by Major Vilett Rolleston, F.Z.S. ; an Osprey 

 (Sandiotthaliaetus), European, purchased; a Vulpine Phalanger 

 {Phalangisia vulpiua), born in the Gardens. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1889 SEPTEMBER 22-28. 

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

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



is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on September 22 

 I Sunrises, 5h. 48m. ; souths, iih. 5201. 33'4s. ; daily decrease 

 of southing, 20 •8s. ; sets, lyh. 57m.: right asc. on meridian, 

 iih. 587m. ; decl, 0° 9' N. Sidereal Time at Sunset, 

 i8h. 4m. 

 Moon (New on September 25, 3h.) rises, 2h. 13m. ; souths, 

 9h. Sim. ; sets, lyh. 27m. : right asc, on meridian, 

 loh. 2'9m. ; deal. 16° o' N. 



Right asc and declinatioD 

 Planet. Rises. Souths. Sets. on meridian. 



h. m. h. m. h. m. h. m. » / 

 Mercury.. 8 27 ... 13 25 ... 18 23 ... 13 31-5 ... 12 41 S. 

 Venus ... 2 25 ... 9 41 ... 16 57 ... 9 47*2 ... 13 54 N. 

 Mars ... 2 52 ... 10 2 ... 17 12 ... 10 8'o ... 12 50 N. 

 Jupiter ... 13 59 ... 17 52 ... 21 45 ... 17 587 ... 23 29 S. 

 Saturn ... 2 46 ... 9 58 ... 17 10 ... 10 39 ... 13 12 N. 

 Uranus... 7 47 ... 13 12 ... 18 37 ... 13 l8*2 ... 7 39 S. 

 Neptune.. 20 17*.. 4 7 ... 11 57 ... 4 11-5 ... 19 25 N. 



* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening. 

 Sept. h. 



22 ... 2 ... Venus in conjunction with and 3° 12' south 



of the Moon. 

 22 ... 10 ... Saturn in conjunction with and 2° 44' south 



of the Moon. 

 22 ... 13 ... Mars in conjunction with and 2° 47' south 



of the Moon. 



22 ... 21 ... Sun in equator : day and night of equal length. 

 26 ... 8 ... Venus in conjunction with and o" 34' south 



of Saturn. 



26 ... 21 ... Mercury in conjunction with and 8° 38' south 

 of the Moon. 



Va^'iable Stars, 

 Star. R.A. Decl. 



h. m. o / h. m. 



U Cephei o 52*5 ... 81 17 N. ... Sept. 25, 4 7 « 



^•Tauri 3 54-5 ... 12 n N. ... ,, 27, 3 I5 »» 



U Coronse 15 137 ... 32 3 N. ... ,, 23, 19 8 »» 



U Ophiuchi 17 10*9 ... i 20 N. ... ,, 23, 3 50 »i 



and at intervals of 20 8 



T Vulpeculse ... 20 46*8 ... 27 50 N. ... Sept. 22, 2 o m 



X Capricorni ... 21 2'2 ... 21 48 S. ... ,, 24, M 



T Capricorni ... 21 I5'9 ... 15 38 S , 25, M 



5 Cephei 22 25*1 ... 57 51 N. ... ,, 27, i oM 



M signifies maximum : tn minimum. 



Aleteor- Showers. •: 



R.A. Decl. . <^ 



Near o Arietis... 

 From Lynx 



i?l. 



30 



18 N. 



43 N. ... Very swift; strealaS^ 

 115 ... 52 N. ... Very swift. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The British Association 485 



Section C (Geology). — Opening Address by Prof. 

 James Geikie, LL.D., F.R.SS.L. and E., 



E.G. S., President of the Section 486 



Section E (Geography). — Opening Address by Colonel 

 Sir Francis de Winton, K.C.M.G., F.R.G.S., 



President of the Section 49^ 



Section F (Economic Science and Statistics). — Opening 



Address by Prof. F. Y. Edgeworth, M.A., F.S.S. 



President of the Section. {With Diagi'ams.) . . . 496 



Section G (Mechanical Science). — Opening Address 



by William Anderson, M.Inst.C.E., President 



of the Section 5°? 



Notes 51^ 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1889 

 September 22-28 S'^ 



