502 



NATURE 



\_Sept. 2 2, 1887 



the volume \a'\ Then the wave-lengths, A, of the lines in the 

 spectrum of A, which belong to a, are to the wave-lengths, A', 

 of the lines in the spectrum of C, which belong to «', as \a\ is 

 to [«']. If there be no condensation the lines are the same as to 

 their position, since the volume remains constant, though their 

 relative intensities may vary greatly ; the compounds of hydrogen 

 with chlorine, bromine, and iodine may be cited as examples. 

 Assuming this principle, the spectra of hydrogen and water 

 vapour offer some very interesting relationships. Thus, the 

 wave-lengths of the second spectrum of hydrogen, which seems 

 to belong to a molecule, H', of a more complicated structure, 

 when divided by 2 give the wave-lengths of the lines of water 

 vapour, the volume of the free molecule H' being double that 

 which hydrogen occupies in water vapour. The wave-lengths 

 of the elementary spectrum of hydrogen can be arranged into 

 two groups, a and b, which give the lines of the water vapour 

 spectrum when they are respectively multiplied by \% and by i. 

 From this Prof. Grlinwald concludes that hydrogen is composed 

 of the combination of four volumes of the element a with one 

 of the element b. The first element, a, should be the lightest of 

 all the gases, and much lighter than hydrogen ; and since it should 

 therefore probably enter largely into the constitution of the 

 corona. Prof. Grlinwald gives it the name of "coronium." The 

 D3 or " helium " line is found in the spectrum of the second 

 element, b ; and the Professor therefore gives b the title 

 "helium." The correspondences between the wave-lengths 

 calculated by Prof, Grlinwald for the elements a and b and those 

 of lines actually observed in the spectrum of the sun are certainly 

 striking. Following out the same method, the Professor finds 

 the chemical formula of oxygen as follows — 



O = H'O' = H'[/;,0"5l = li'[b,{b,c,),l 



The line of the corona, 1474 K, should belong to the element 

 "coronium," and would correspond — 5316 x | = 3544 — to a 

 line, as yet unknown, of the elementary spectrum of hydrogen, 

 with wave-length 3544. Prof. Grlinwald had hoped that the 

 late eclipse would have afforded an opportunity of searching for 

 this line. It is clear that the dissociation of hydrogen in the 

 sun is a necessary consequence of this theory, since its two con- 

 stituent elements will thus both be in the free state in the solar 

 atmosphere. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1887 SEPTEMBER 2^,— OCTOBER i. 



/■p*OR 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 2 5 

 Sun rises, 5h. 52m. ; souths, iih. 51m. 4273. ; sets, I7h. 51m. ; 



decl. on meridian, 0° 50' S. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 



i8h. 8m. 

 Moon (one day after First Quarter) rises, I4h. 54m. ; souths, 



iph. 14m. ; sets, 23h. 36m. ; decl. on meridian, 19° 26' S. 



THE UNWRITTEN CHAPTER ON GOLF> 



'T'HERE are two ways of dealing with a difficulty — the meta- 

 physical and the scientific way. The first is very simple 

 and expeditious — it consists merely in giving the Unknown a 

 name whereby it may be classified and categorized. Thence- 

 forward the Unknown is regarded as having become part of 

 knowledge. The scientific man goes further, and endeavours 

 to find what lies concealed under the name. If it were possible 

 for a metaphysician to be a golfer, he might perhaps occasion- 

 ally notice that his ball, instead of moving forward in a vertical 

 plane (like the generality of projectiles, such as brickbats and 

 cricket-balls), skewed away gradually to the right. If he did 

 notice it, his methods would naturally lead him to content him- 

 self with his caddie's remark — "Ye heeled that yin," or, "Ye 

 jist slicet it " (we here suppose the metaphysician to be right- 

 handed, as the sequel will show). But a scientific man is not to 

 be put off with such flimsy verbiage as this. He must know 

 more. What is "heeling," what is "slicing," and why would 

 either operation (if it could be thoroughly carried out) send a 

 ball as if to cover-point, thence to long slip, and finally behind 

 back-stop? These, as Falstaff said, are "questions to be 

 asked." 



As the most excellent set of teeth, if but one incisor be 

 wanting, gives pain rather than pleasure to the beholder ; so is 

 it with the works of the magnificent Clark, the sardonic Hutchia- 

 son, and the abstruse Simpson. These profess to treat of 

 golf in theory as well as in practice. But in each a chapter is 

 wanting, that which ought to deal with "slicing," "heeling," 

 "toeing," "topping," &c., not as metaphysical abstractions 

 enshrined in homely though unpleasant words, but as orderly 

 (or disorderly) events due to physical causes and capable of 

 receiving a physical explanation. Mayhap, with the aid of 

 scissors and paste, some keen votary of the glorious game will 

 employ this humble newspaper column to stop, however imper 

 fectly and temporarily, the glaring gap which yawns in the wor 

 every one of its exponents ! If so, this scrap will not have' 

 written in vain. It may even, in the dim future, lead s 

 athletic pundit to elaborate The Umvritten Chapter. 



Every one has heard of the uncertain flight of the proje 

 from Brown Bess, or from the old smooth-bore 32-pounders 

 of the introduction of rifling to insure steadiness. Now, a. 

 that rifling secures is that the ball shall rotate about an axis 

 nearly in its line of flight, instead of rotating (as the old smooth- 

 bore projectiles did) about an axis whose direction is determined 

 by one or more of a number of trivial circumstances whose effects 

 cannot be calculated, barely even foreseen. Thus it appea^rs 

 that every deviation of a spherical projectile from its line of fl: 

 (excluding, of course, that due to gravity) is produced by ri 

 tion about an axis perpendicular to the line of flight. 



' From The Scotsman, August 31, 1887. 



