6o4 



NATURE 



\Oct. 23; 1879 



the former satellite the partial effect of perturbation, and 

 leaving the remainder of the process in as simple a form 

 as practicable. He remarks that if the satellites cannot 

 be followed up to December 15, there is httle chance of 

 their being seen in 1881, except, perhaps, under greatly 

 improved atmospheric conditions, and we may then have 

 to wait for further observations until the very favourable 

 opposition of 1892 ; a similar opinion has been expressed 

 by Prof. Newcomb; hence the greater necessity for 

 reliable measures of the satellites during the present 

 opposition. We have not yet heard of any observation 

 of Phobos in this country, but Mr. Common continues 

 measures of the position of Deimos, which is not far 

 from that given by Hall's elements. 



The Minor Planet, Pandora. — Dr. Axel-Moller, of 

 Lund, has communicated to the Academy at Stockholm 

 an exhaustive determination of the orbit of this small 

 planet, which he appears to have taken under his special 

 charge. It is founded upon the observations at the 

 sixteen oppositions between 1858 and 1877, the perturba- 

 tions of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn being rigorously deter- 

 mined by Encke's method. The residual errors are 

 smaller than in any like case we remember, except in 

 Mr. Godward's investigation of the elements of Ceres in 

 1878, from a similar length of observation (fifteen opposi- 

 tions) and refined calculation of the perturbations. Dr. 

 Axel-Moller had presented an elaborate memoir on the 

 absolute perturbations of Pandora to the Swedish Aca- 

 demy in 1877. 



Palisa's Comet. — Herr Zelbr, of Vienna, has published 

 elements of this comet, which will be probably nearer the 

 truth than any others that have appeared ; they are 

 founded on four days' observations between August 21 

 and September 12, and are as follow : — 



Perihelion passage, 1879, October 4'6ooi5 M.T. at Berlin. 



Longitude of i^erihelion 



,, ascending node . 



Inclination 



Log. perihelion distance ... . 

 Motion- 



. 202 27 15 I Mean Equinox, 



• 87 7 30 i J879-0- 

 77 6 12 



• 9'995932 

 •direct. 



These elements give for Berlin midnight : — 



R.A. Decl. 



h. m. s, o * 



Oct. 23 15 36 56 + 2 7-0 



25 — 42 58 + o 24-4 



27 — 48 50 - I I5'2 



29 IS 54 32 2 SI'S 



31 16 o 6 4 25-3 



Nov. 2 — S 31 S SS'S 



4 — 10 48 7 23-3 



6 — 16 o 8 48'o 



8 — 21 8 10 ^'(j 



10 — 26 10 II 29-0 



12 — 31 8 12 45-5 



14 16 36 2 -13 59-4 



On November 8 the intensity of light has the same value 

 as on the day of discovery, August 21. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



Two members of the Greenland Scientific Expedition, 

 viz., Lieut. Jenson and M. Kornerup, arrived back at 

 Copenhagen on October 13 in the Greenland trading ship 

 Cej-es, which sailed from the colony of Egedesminde 

 September 4. Lieut. R. Hammer left Egedesminde at 

 the same time for the colony of Jacobshavn to take up his 

 winter station there, in order to fulfil the special duties 

 intrusted to him. M. Steenstrup takes up his winter 

 station in the Umanak district, and it is intended that 

 Steenstrup and Hammer shall meet next year, so that 

 they may prosecute their researches together. 



Menii.ik, King of Shoa, has written a letter to tte 

 president of the Geographical Society of Paris in reference 



to the scientific mission which has been sent to Shoa by 

 the Geographical Society of Rome and which has the 

 protection of his government. But the King would like 

 better to have to assist a French mission sent to him by 

 the Geographical Society of Paris ; consequently he 

 desires the Society to fit out an expedition, promising 

 them to employ all his power on their behalf. He com- 

 plains bitterly against the Egyptian Government, which 

 prevents Abyssinia from being placed in communication 

 with European civilisation as it had been in former cen- 

 turies. The letter is written in French and sent with an 

 Abyssinian translation. 



The Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia has ordered M. 

 Barante to translate into French his work " On the 

 Canalisation of the Amu-Daria" and present it to the 

 Paris Geographical Society. The work w'ill be published 

 in extenso in the Transactions of the Society. 



A TELEGRAM received by the Russian Geographical 

 Society communicates the following particulars as to the 

 scientific expedition now exploring Tibet, under the leader- 

 ship of Col. Prshevalski. On May i it was on the river 

 Boolagan, having marched nearly 600 versts from Saizan, 

 through Booluntokhoi, up the river Yrungo. The Colonel 

 intended crossing the southern Altai Mountains by the 

 shortest way to Barkool. All his companions were in 

 good health, and success had attended all their efforts. 

 Another telegram to the Russian General Staff, dated 

 May 30, states that Col. Prshevalski had then accom- 

 plished a third part of the distance between Saizan and 

 the Himalayas, reaching the town of Khani, whence h; 

 intended going to Shadsheoo and Paidan. Another 

 Russian geographical expedition, it will be remembered, 

 in three sections, is at present prosecuting researches east 

 of the Caspian, though the same success does not seem 

 to crown its labours. A letter reaching St. Petersburg 

 by way of Orenburg says that the scientific party sent out 

 to explore the Amu Darya, or Oxus, was attacked by 

 about 100 mounted Turcomans, who were, however, re- 

 pulsed. The whole course of the Amu Darya, as well 

 as of its affluents, is described as having been found 

 navigable. 



M. Revael, who spent a long time with the Somalis on 

 the western coast of the Gulf of Aden, has described to 

 the Geographical Society of Paris the land and its in- 

 habitants, who appear to be very anxious to trade with 

 Europeans, and he presented an Arab firman signed by 

 the Sultan inviting foreigners to visit his dominions. M. 

 Revael is to return to Somali land with Prince Albert of 

 Monaco. 



In the belief that not much is generally known in 

 England on the subject, Mr. Consul Gollan devotes a 

 considerable part of his last official report to a description 

 of the geographical position, climate, population, in- 

 dustries, &c., of the two provinces of Santa Catharina 

 and San Pedro do Rio Grande doSul, in Southern Brazil. 

 The former lies between 26° and 29° 30' S. lat., and 48" 

 30' and 52° W. long. ; it contains an area of about i4,7co 

 square miles, with a population of almost 160,000. The 

 latter province, usually known as Rio Grande do Sul, 

 lies between 25° 30' and 32° 30' S. lat., and 49° 40' and 

 58° 20' W. long. ; it has an area of 118,758 miles, with a 

 population of 430,000. The climate, more especially of 

 the latter province, is described as excellent, a term which 

 does not apply to the upper portions of the empire. 

 Being some 700 miles outside of the tropics, these pro- 

 vinces have the advantage of a temperate climate, and 

 are consequently the best adapted to immigration. 



A Lloyd's telegram dated Kobe, October 17, reports 

 the Vega, Swedish exploring steamer, arrived at that port 

 on the 14th inst. 



SERIOU.S preparations for the construction of a railway 

 injto the interior of Africa are now being made in France. 



