280 



NATURE 



[July 19, 1888 



Right asc. and declination 

 Souths. Sets. on meridian, 



h. m. h. m. h. m. 



10 54 ... 18 42 ... 6 56-0 ... 19 IO N. 



12 20 ... 20 17 ... 8 22'3 ... 20 34 N. 



17 48 ... 22 47 ... 13 51*2 ... 12 34 S. 



19 34 ... 23 58 ... 15 37-6 ... 18 37 S. 



12 43 ... 20 28 ... 8 45*4 ... 18 43 N. 



16 47 ... 22 26 ... 12 51 o ... 4 46 S. 



7 58 ... 15 45 ••• 4 0-2 ... 18 55 N. 



Indicates that the setting is that of the following morning. 



Comet Sawerthal. 

 Right Ascension. 



Planet. Rises. 



h. m. 



Mercury.. 3 6 



Venus 4 23 



Mars 12 49 



Jupiter.... 15 10 

 Saturn.... 4 58 

 Uranus... 11 8 

 Neptune., on 



July. 

 22 

 26 



h. 



7 '9 



7'3 



Declination. 



51 59 N. 



52 38 



Occultations of Stars by the Moon (visible at Greenwich). 



Corresponding 



July. 



-22 .. 



23 •• 

 26 .. 



July. 



23 



23 

 24 



27 



Star. 



o Sagittarii 

 20 Capricorni 

 74 Aquarii 

 h. 



Mag. Disap. 



h. m. 



4 ... O 42 



6 ... 21 35 



,6 ... o 57 



Reap. 



h. m. 



1 15 

 22 46 



2 II 



angles from ver- 

 tex to right for 

 inverted image. 



••• 173 235 

 ... 64 269 

 ... 80 308 



22 



4 



13 



Total eclipse of Moon : first contact with 

 penumbra 2h. 57m. : first contact with 

 shadow 3I1. 55m., shortly after which, at 

 4b. 10m., the Moon sets at Greenwich. 



Jupiter stationary. 



Venus at least distance from the Sun. 



Venus in conjunction with and 0° 35' north 

 of Saturn. 



Variable Stars. 



Star. 



U Cephei . 



R Piscium . 



W Virginis . 



U Bootis . 



5 Librae 



V Coronse . 

 U Ophiuchi. 



U Sagittarii. 



6 Lyrae... . 

 7j Aquilae 



X Cygni 

 S Cephei 

 R Pegasi 



R.A. 

 h. m. 



52-4 .. 



1 24-9 .. 



13 203 .. 



14 49-2 .. 



14 55'° •• 



15 54'5 •• 

 17 10-9 .. 



Decl. 



8l 16 N. .. 



2 18 N. .. 

 2 48 S. .. 



18 9 N. .. 

 8 4 S. .. 



39 55 N. .. 

 1 20 N. .. 



h. 



July 25, 20 

 „ 22, 



m 25, 3 



„ 22, 



,, 27, o 



,, 26, 



,» 24, 2 



,, 24, 22 



„ 27, 1 



... 18 253 ... 19 12 S. ... 



... 18 460 ... 33 14 N. ... ,, 27, 



... 19 46-8 ... o 43 N. ... „ 25, 



... 20 39-0 ... 35 n N. ... „ 25, 



... 22 25-0 ... 57 51 N. ... „ 23, 



... 23 10 ... 9 56 N. ... ,, 28, 



M signifies maximum ; m minimum. 



Meteor- Showers. 

 R.A. Decl. 



50 m 

 Si 



oM 



m 



18 m 



M 



50 m 



58 m 



o m 



oM 



oM 



o M 



o m 



M 



Near 8 Cassiopeia? 



The Perseids 



The Aquarids 



20 



25 

 340 



59 N. 



53 N. 



13 s. 



Very swift. Streaks. 

 Swift. Streaks. 

 Max. July 28. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



The last survey of the Austrian Alps, we learn from the 

 Proc. R.G. S., has already led to some important, if not alto- 

 gether unexpected results. Thus the Marmolata, the highest 

 dolomite, is reduced from 11,464 feet to 11,016 feet. The 

 Antelao comes next, reaching, according to the new Italian 

 survey, 10,874 feet. Mr. D. Freshfield pointed out in 1875, m 

 his " Italian Alps," that the two highest points of the Primiero 

 group do not differ by 159 metres, as then indicated in the 

 Government survey, but are almost equal in height. The new 

 measurements show a difference of only 16 feet between them, 

 and reverse the advantage. The figures are subjoined : — 



Previous Cadaster 

 Last survey. Old survey, measurement, 

 m. m. m. 



Cima di Vezzana ... 3191 3061 3317 



Cimon della Pala ... 3186 3220 3343 



The Cima di Vezzana is therefore 10,470 feet and the Cimon 

 della Pala 10,454 feet. The remaining peaks of the Primiero 

 group gain or lose only a few feet by the new measurements. 



Mi:. W. J. Archer, British Vice-Consul at Chiengmai, has 

 written an interesting Report of a journey he made in his district 

 last year. This journey extended north along the Meping River, 

 north-east to Chiengsin on the Cambodia River, south and east 

 to Nan on the Nam Nan, then westwards across the Meyom, by 

 Lakhon to Chiengmai. Several maps accompany the Report, 

 which add considerably to our knowledge of the topography of 

 the region visited. Mr. Archer, writing of the new capital of 

 Miiang Fang, describes the manner in which this and similar 

 new settlements were formed in Siam. In such new colonies, 

 as the people spread out over the districts around, other settle- 

 ments were gradually formed at a distance from the capital. A 

 large body of immigrants, or a number of families from the 

 same locality, generally form a separate settlement, especially if 

 they are of a different race from the original settlers ; and if 

 they settle in the capital they usually have a separate quarter 

 allotted to themselves. This is characteristic of all the settle- 

 ments in Siam, both in the larger cities and in the provinces. 

 In Bangkok the inhabitants of the different quarters have 

 gradually become amalgamated ; but not far from the capital the 

 colonies of former captives of war still retain their language and 

 customs, and keep up little intercourse with their conquerors. 

 In the northern country the separation is as complete, and the 

 area of Chiengmai, for example, is divided into numerous 

 quarters, each inhabited almost exclusively by people of a 

 different race ; and many of the villages in the provinces are also 

 colonies of refugees or captives. Mr. Archer is of opinion that 

 the country of the Thai Yai (literally " great Siamese "), or its 

 vicinity, is the cradle of the Thai people, who thence gradually 

 flowed southward. The Thai family has numerous divisions, 

 differing more or less in appearance, language, and costume, 

 though it is not difficult to trace the common type through all. 

 The whole subject of the gradual development and modifications 

 of the Thai race is a very interesting one from an ethnological 

 point of view, and, Mr. Archer thinks, well worthy of research 

 for the light it may throw on the early history of Indo-China. 

 Mr. Archer gives many useful notes on the various hill-tribes of 

 the country, whose distribution and characteristics deserve 

 careful investigation. It is to be hoped he may have further 

 opportunities of exploring the region and collecting additional 

 information. 



The Council of the Russian Geographical Society have issued 

 a memorandum with regard to the teaching of geography in 

 the Universities. This memorandum will probably be taken 

 as a basis for the impending organization of University teaching 

 and degrees in geography in Russia. " Geography," the 

 Council write, "beine a study of the laws and associations of 

 phenomena of the physical and organic life of the earth, it 

 implies a serious preliminary study of natural sciences. Without 

 a serious knowledge of the laws of physics, it is impossible to 

 reason upon the laws dealing with the physical features of the 

 globe. For recognizing its true place in the solar system, its 

 figure and movements, the knowledge of astronomy and geodesy 

 is absolutely necessary. The origin of the present features of 

 the surface of the earth cannot be dealt with without a knowledge 

 of geology and mineralogy. Botany and zoology are necessary 

 for studying the laws of the distribution of organisms ; while a 

 knowledge of anatomy and physiology is necessary for the study 

 of anthropology, phy to- geography, zoo-geography, and anthropo- 

 geography, and so on." The experience of the German Univer- 

 sities having shown how difficult it is for the student to master 

 all these subjects if he merely follows the usual lectures of the 

 Natural Sciences Faculty, the Council express a hope that special 

 courses, appropriate to the requirements of geographical students, 

 may be opened in physics, astronomy and geodesy, chemistry, 

 mineralogy and petrography, geology and the study of soils (a 

 branch which has lately received a good deal of attention in 

 Russia), zoology, anatomy and zootomy, physiology, history, 

 literature, comparative philology, and the leading principles of 

 political economy and statistics. Psychology being intrusted 

 in Russian Universities only to Professors chosen from among the 

 clergy, the Council urge that it should be introduced into the 

 Natural History Faculty. As to geography proper, they advise, 

 first, that there shall be two separate Professors for geography 

 and anthropology, and point out the absolute impossibilitj 

 of combining both sciences in one professorship. They propose, 

 moreover, to divide the course of geography into two distinct 

 parts, physical geography (Erdkunde) and special geography 

 (Landerkunde) . Historical geography is excluded from the 

 programme, its contents belonging partly to history and parti) 



