470 



NATURE 



[June io, 1920 



thetical parallaxes are being deduced in these cases, 

 recent research having proved that such parallaxes 

 iire of considerable value for statistical purposes; 

 they are, indeed, as trustworthy as those directly 

 measured when the latter are of the order of 0-02". 



The photographic determination of parallaxes with 

 the 26-in. photographic equatorial has been resumed, 

 and twenty new parallaxes have been determined with 

 an average probable error of 0008". It is anticipated 

 that in future forty new parallaxes will be determined 

 annually. The plan adopted for the measurement of 

 the star images on the eclipse plates (that is, the pre- 

 paration of a key plate with reversed images, which is 

 placed film to film with the plates to be measured) is 

 now being adopted for the parallax plates. Instead of 

 producing the key plate by photography, short lines 

 will be ruled on a glass plate in a north-and-south 

 direction corresponding with the positions of the stars 

 on each set of parallax plates. 



A few photometry plates of the Kapteyn selected 

 areas in N. decl. 30° have also been taken. 



Two Star Catalogues are in process of being printed, 

 viz. the zone catalogue of stars down to the 9th 

 magnitude in N. decl. 24° to 32°. and the oroper- 

 motion catalogue of stars near the North Pole (vol. iii. 

 of the Greenwich Astrographic Catalogue). 



The proper motions of the stars in both these 

 catalogues have alreadv been discussed in several 

 paoers in the Monthly Notices. 



The reduction of the solar photographs fell into 

 arrears owing to the impossibility of transmitting plates 

 from India and the Cape to fill the gaps in the Green- 

 wich series. Work is now being pushed on as rapidly 

 as possible, and has been brought up to the middle 

 of 1917. There were considerable solar outbursts in 

 August and March last, both accompanied by mag- 

 netic storms, but the general spot activity is now on 

 the decline. 



The Astronomer Royal makes allusion in his report 

 to the successful result of the eclipse expeditions of 

 19 19. Transparencies from the plates secured then 

 were on view, and showed both the star images and 

 the splendid prominence 300,000 miles in length which 

 wasi on the sun's eastern limb. 



It is proposed to repeat the investigation of the star- 

 shift at the eclipse of 1922 September 20. According 

 to present plans, Messrs. Jones and Melotte will 

 observe it from Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. 

 They will use the astrographic, mounted equatoriallv, 

 discarding the ccelostat, which is a source of trouble 

 in work where great refinement is needed. Plans 

 have been mooted for utilising the presence of the 

 instrument in low latitudes to take a series of plates 

 with the view of linking together the northern and 

 southern magnitude scales. 



The mean magnetic declination for 1919 is 14° 18-2'; 

 it is diminishing about 9-6' annually, so that it should 

 reach zero about the end of the century. 



As regards the weather of the twelve months ended 

 on April 30 last, it is interesting to note that the 

 period October-November was the coldest for eighty 

 years, while the ptriod December-April was the 

 warmest for eighty years. This accounts for the 

 exceptionally early appearance of the blossoms, which 

 was three weeks in advance of the average. 



The dailv sunshine register has been supplemented 

 since last Januarv by a small fixed camera pointing 

 to the pole, which records trails of circumpolar stars 

 throughout the night, forming a gauge of the clearness 

 of thei sky. 



The reception of wireless time-signals from Paris, 

 Nauen, Lvons, and Annapolis now forms part of the 

 daily routine. The time, of their reception will be 

 printed in the Greenwich volumes, and will be avail- 

 able for longitude determinations. It has lately been 

 NO. 2641, VOL. 105] 



announced that the Lyons signals can be read at Ade- 

 laide» so that it is hoped that improved values of the 

 Australian longitudes will shortly 1^ available. 



The Astronomer Royal notes the loss that the 

 observatory has sustained in the recent retirement of 

 Messrs. Maunder, Thackeray, and HoUis, and ex- 

 presses warm appreciation of their long and zealous 

 services. 



Applied Statistics. 



T T is only twenty-five years sinc^ Prof. Karl Pearson 

 •*■ gave at University College, London, his first 

 course of lectures on the mathematical theory of 

 statistics, and the opening at University College, 

 London, on Friday, June 4, of the handsorne building 

 provided by the generosity of Sir Herbert Bartlett, 

 Bart., for the Department of Applied Statistics, 

 including the Galton Laboratory and the Drapers' 

 Company Biometric Laboratory, marks another stage 

 in the progress of what is more than a new branch of 

 science, for there is scarcely a single field of scientific 

 work in which, the fundamental importance of the 

 methods of research which have been developed b\- 

 Prof. Pearson and his pupils has not been recognised. 



The Drapers' Company in 1902 was the first to 

 provide funds to carrv on research work in what was 

 then known as the Biometric Laboratory, and is now 

 appropriately called the Drapers' Company Labora- 

 tory, and its annual irrants have been continued up 

 to the present time ; while nine years later Sir Francis 

 Galton bequeathed the residue of his estate to the Uni- 

 versity of London for the establishment of the Galton 

 professorship of eugenics. Sir Francis expressed the 

 wish, however, that so far .:is possible the capital of 

 the endowment should be preserved intact, and the 

 University accordingly issued an appeal for the build- 

 ing and equipment of a Francis Galton laboratory. 

 Immediately afterwards Sir Herbert Bartlett offered 

 to provide a building for both the Galton and Bio- 

 metric Laboratories. 



The building was nearly ready for occupation when, 

 on the outbreak of war, not only had it to be given up 

 for use as' a military hospital, but also the voluntary 

 services of the staff of the laboratories were offered 

 TO and accepted by the Goyernment. In the early 

 days of the war hundreds of diagrams were prepared 

 weekly of the extent of unemployment in all the 

 important towns of Great Britain, and when unem- 

 ployment ceased to be a serious problem the labora- 

 tories were engaged in statistical inquiries into the 

 seasonal use of shipping and rates of exchange and 

 in investigations into aeroplane propeller stresses and 

 ballistics. The computation of sights for various 

 types of machine-.'^uns to be used against low-flying 

 German aeroplanes was carried out by very strenuous 

 and continuous labour in six weeks. 



One result of the delay in completing the equip- 

 ment of the building is that funds which were in- 

 sufficient in IQ14 are now wholly inadequate, and this 

 splendid building can only be partly used. Equally 

 essential is the provision of funds for the salaries of 

 the staff, and it is estimated that to complete and 

 maintain the eauipment of the new building and to 

 carry on and develop the work of the laboratories 

 in accordance with the intentions of its founders there 

 is required an additional income of 5000Z. a year. The 

 Senate of the University of London has accordingly 

 authorised an appeal for this endowment. 



At the opening ceremony, at which Dr. Russell 

 Wells, the VicerChancellor of the University of 

 London, presided. Dr. Addison, Minister of Health, 

 said that his work in the Ministry of Munitions had 



