324 



NATURE 



{Feb. 2 1, TS78 



The Temple Observatory, Rugby.— Mr. G. M. 

 Seabroke, as Curator of the Temple Observatory, has 

 issued a Report upon proceedings during the year 1877. 

 The whole of the measures of double-stars, 398 in number, 

 during the last three years up to the time of dismantling 

 the old Observatory, have appeared in vol. xliii, of the 

 Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society. More 

 recently investigations into the motions of stars in the 

 line of sight by the spectroscopic method have occupied 

 Mr. Seabroke's attention, but the chief work in the year 

 has been the rebuilding of the Observatory. The Report 

 contains an outline of its history and a description of the 

 instruments to which reference may be made in future 

 years. The equatorial of 8^ inches aperture, by Alvan 

 Clarke, was formerly in the possession of the Rev. W. R. 

 Dawes, and an interesting letter from him upon its capa- 

 bilities is appended to the Report. Not the least notable 

 of its performances is its having shown the close satellite 

 of Saturn, Mimas, on many occasions, and we know that 

 its former possessor was not likely to have mistaken faint 

 stars for the satellite. 



The observatory is open to the members of the school 

 at certain hours on fine evenings when opportunities for 

 observing with the equatorial and transit are afforded 

 them. It should be mentioned that in addition to the 

 Alvan Clark refractor the observatory possesses a twelve- 

 inch With-reflector which is chiefly used with the spec- 

 troscope. 



The cost of the new observatory and house for the 

 curator, upwards of 1,230/., has been defrayed by sub- 

 scriptions from the masters, old Rugbeians, and others 

 in the school, upon the occasion of its tercentenary. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

 African Exploration.— The two African Societies 

 of Berlin, which are now combined, have resolved to turn 

 their attention to practical (/,^., commercial) objects as 

 well as scientific ones with regard to the great continent 

 in which the travels of Cameron and Stanley have revealed 

 vast stores of the most varied products. The twin societies 

 therefore invite all German merchants, manufacturers, 

 &c., to participate in their efforts to open up a great 

 African commerce, and announce that the German 

 Government is ready to grant a preliminary sum of 

 100,000 marks (5,000/.) to further the object in question. 

 The Germans seem determined that no single nation, 

 more especially England or Portugal, shall have the 

 supremacy on the Congo. In Switzerland a new geo- 

 graphical society has been formed for the same object as 

 the above. — An official telegram from Zanzibar to Brussels 

 announces the death at Zanzibar of Dr. Maes and Capt. 

 Crespel, who were sent out by the International African 

 Association as leaders of an exploring colony in Central 

 Africa. With them were M. Cambier and Ernest Mamo, 

 and they were to establish a station somewhere in the 

 Tanganyika region, which would form a centre of further 

 exploration. The death is also announced of Capt. Elton, 

 who, with Mr. Cotterill, was surveying the route between 

 the north end of Lake Nyassa and the east coast. 



Arctic Exploration.— The Committee on Naval 

 Affairs of the U.S. Congress have adopted a report from 

 Mr. Benjamin A. Willis recommending the equipment of 

 an Arctic expedition as proposed by Capt. Howgate. At 

 a public meeting held by the New York Geographical 

 Society to discuss the subject of polar exploration a paper 

 by Capt. Howgate was read on his intended colony. 

 Lord Dufferin, governor-general of Canada, was elected 

 an honorary member of the Society, and returned thanks 

 in his usual style. He referred to himself as " a poten- 

 tate whose sceptre touches the pole, and who reigns over 

 a larger area of snow than any monarch of the earth." 



The Paimir.— We learn from the Turkestanskiya 

 Vedomosi, that two members of the Pamir expedition, 

 MM. Skassi and Schwarz, have returned to Tashkend, 



M. Severtsoff remaining for some time at Osh. The 

 expedition, which started in September last, has met with 

 great difficulties from deep snow and the cold weather, 

 the thermometer falling as low as 3 1° Celsius below zero. 

 Owing to the absolute want of forests, wood was brought 

 by yaks. No inhabitants were found in the Pamir, nor even 

 in the valley of Alay, the Kirghiz having already left the 

 valley for warmer regions. The rarity of air on those 

 great heights, which exceed 15,000 feet, occasioned much 

 suffering to the members of the expedition. The Valley 

 of Alay was reached from that of Fergana, by way of the 

 Shart Pass, and from the Alay the expedition followed the 

 path which was followed by Gen. Skobeleff in 1876. M. 

 Severtsoff reached as far as the Lok-sai River, which the 

 natives said flows into the Lob-nor, under the name of 

 the Tarim-gcl. Thence he was compelled by the deep snow 

 to return, without reaching the problematic meridional 

 ridge which was the aim of the expedition. Prof. 

 Schwarz has determined the latitudes and longitudes of 

 six places, and has made numerous magnetical observa- 

 tions ; a complete survey of the route was made by the 

 topographers, the heights of a hundred points were deter- 

 mined, partly barometrically and partly geodetically. 

 M. Severtsoff has brought in a large ornithological 

 collection. 



Educational Travel.— We learn that a society is in 

 course of formation at St. Petersburg for the organisation 

 of travels for children and for young men. The travels 

 of the children are intended for the general development 

 of the intellectual faculties and of the power of observa- 

 tion, and those of the young men will be arranged so as 

 to give them a practical knowledge of some branch of 

 science, together with an acquaintance with their own 

 country. The travellers will be divided into several 

 groups — natural sciences, history, ethnography, &c., and 

 each section will be placed under the leadership of some 

 well-known specialist. The success of the botanical and 

 geological excursions, which were organised during several 

 summers by the members of St. Petersburg and Moscow 

 Societies of Natural Sciences, lead us to expect that the 

 new enterprise will be successful. 



Prshevalsky and Maclay.— The Russian Geogra- 

 phical Society has received telegrams from Col. Prsheval- 

 sky, dated Fort Alexandrovsky, announcing that the 

 traveller is now recovering from an illness, and will 

 continue his journey to Tibet ; and from Dr. Mikluho- 

 Maclay, announcing his return from New Guinea to 

 Singapore. 



Sea Trade with Siberia.— We learn that several 

 Bremen and Moscow merchants have formed a company 

 for sea trade with Siberia. A large steamer, with two 

 barges and a small river steamer on board, will start from 

 Bremen in July next for the mouth of the Ob or of the 

 Yenisei. Leaving the river steamer and the barges for 

 river communication, the large steamer will return with 

 Siberian wares. 



Geographical Bibliography. — In the last part for 

 1877 of the Zeitschrift of the Berlin Geographical Society 

 will be found a copious list, covering 100 pages, of the 

 principal geographical works published between Novem- 

 ber, 1876, and November, 1877. 



Russian Geographical Society.— The Great Con- 

 stantine gold medal of the Russian Royal Geographical 

 Society was awarded this year to M. Zakharoff for his 

 remarkable Manchurian dictionar}', the result of many 

 years' study of the language and Hfe of the Manchurians, 

 during his residence as Consul at Kuldja. The gold 

 medal of Count Liitke was awarded to Capt. Rykacheff, 

 of the Physical Observatory of St. Petersburg, for his 

 researches into the distribution of atmospherical pressure 

 throughout Russia. Small gold medals were awarded to 

 M. Marx for ten years' meteorological observations at 

 Yeniseisk, and to Col. Tillo for his levelling between the 

 Aral and Caspian. 



