October 6, 1898] 



NATURE 



553 



Mr. Edward Arnold announces: — " Lectures on Theoretic 

 and Physical Chemistry," by G. R. Van 't Hoff, translated by 

 Trof. R. A. Lehfeldt ; "An Experimental Course of Chemistry 

 for Agricultural Students." by T. S. Dymond ; " Elementary 

 Physical Chemistry," byCh. Van Deventer, with an introduction 

 by G. R. Van 't Hoff, translated by Prof. R. A. Lehfeldt ; '« An 

 Illustrated Si;hool Geography," by Dr. Andrew J. Herbertson ; 

 and a new edition of ^ ' Animal Life and Intelligence," by Prof. 

 <C. Lloyd Morgan. — Messrs. G. BeJl and Sons' list includes : 

 " Domestic Hygiene," by Dr. W. A. Williams. — Messrs. J. and 

 A. Churchill's announcements include : " A Synopsis of 

 Surgery," by R. F. Tobin ; and a new edition of Squire's 

 "Companion to the British Pharmacopoeia." — Messrs. Harper 

 -and Brothers' list contains : '* A Thousand Days in the Arctic," 

 by F. G. Jackson, 2 vols., illustrated. — Mr. W. Heinemann 

 promises : " A View of the World in 1900," a new geographical 

 series, edited by H. J. Mackinder, in 12 vols. : (l) "Britain 

 and the North Atlantic," by the editor ; (2) " Scandinavia and 

 the Arctic Ocean," by Sir Clements R. Markham, F.R,S. ; (3) 

 "The Mediterranean and France," by Elisee Reclus ; (4) 

 '^'Central Europe," by Dr. Joseph Partsch ; (5) " Africa," by 

 Dr. J. Scott Keltie; (6) " The Near East," by D. G. Hogarth ; 

 (7) "The Russian Empire," by Prince Kropotkin ; (8) "The 

 Far East," by Archibald Little ; (9) " India," by Colonel Sir 

 Thomas Holdich ; (10) "Australasia and Antarctica," by Dr. 

 H. O. Forbes; (li) "North America," and (12) "South 

 America," by American authorities. — Messrs. Smith, Elder, and 

 Co. will publish : A new edition, with additional plates, of 

 ■" Electric Movement in Air and Water," by Lord Armstrong, 

 F.R.S. 



Thb additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Green Monkey {Cercopiihecus cal/itrichus) 

 from West Africa, presented by Mr. Cecil Alden : a Ring-tailed 

 Coati {Nasua riifa) from South America, presented by Mr. W. 

 C Way ; six Spotted Tinamous {Nothura maculosa) from 

 Buenos Ayres, presented by Mr. Ernest Gibson ; two Cham- 

 eleons {Chamakon vulgaris) from North Africa, presented by 

 Mr. W. F. IL Rosenberg; three young Lions (Felisleo., <J (J 9 ) 

 from Africa, a Sumatran Rhinoceros {Rhinoceros sumatrensis, 9 ) 

 from Malacca, two Emus {Dronicens novte-hollandia), ten Cun- 

 ningham's Skinks {Egernia cunninghaini), a Black and Yellow 

 Cyclodus ( Tiliqtia nigro-lutea) from Australia, a Jardine's 

 Parrot [Pa-ocephalus gulieliui) from W^est Africa, a Redsided 

 Eclectus {Eclectus pectoralis) from New Guinea, two Reticulated 

 Fyihons (Pyf Aon reticulaltts) from the East Indies, deposited ; 

 a Common Sandpider {Tringoidcs hypoleucus), two Little Ringed 

 Plovers {^Egialitis curo4tica)^ European, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



The Large Sunsi-ot.— The spot on the solar disc which 

 appeared on September 3 last at the eastern limb, and 

 which, when on the central meridian (September 9), was the 

 probable origin of the aurora and magnetic storm, has again 

 (September 30) made its appearance on the eastern limb, having 

 been of suttlcient dimensions to last a period of rotation of the 

 sun. The spot is accompanied by several others of smaller size, 

 and its umbra is divided into three separate parts, which form 

 objects of interesting observation. Even in one day con- 

 siderable changes have been noted to have taken place in the 

 smaller spots in its neighbourhood, although the large one has 

 not shown any marked change. It will be interesting to know 

 whether another aurora and concurrent magnetic storm will be 

 observed and recorded when the spot reaches the central 

 meridian (which will take place on October 6), as was the case 

 y at its last meridian passage. 

 V New Teaching Observatory for the Calikornian 



K, University.— We have received a circular from the director 

 I <M...O. .......— „._.... 



NO. I 5 10, VOL. 58] 



versify of California, from which we make the following brief 

 summary :— The trustees of the " Phebe Hearst Architectural 

 Plan for the University of California" have inaugurated an in- 

 ternational competition to secure the most suitable plan for the 

 erection of new buildings in place of the present ones on the 

 University grounds at Berkeley. The buildings are to satisfy 

 every need of a modern University of the highest rank. Among 

 these buildings will be an astronomical observatory especially 

 adapted to the training of young men and women for the pro- 

 fession of astronomy in all its branches, and its equipment will 

 be such as best to serve the purposes of the highest instruction in 

 all branches of astronomy. It is stated that the new observatory' 

 is not meant to conflict with the Lick Astronomical Department 

 of the University, for there students are only admitted who are 

 supposed to have shown a marked ability for observation and 

 independent research, and who receive from the astronomers a 

 higher inspiration, and are guided by them in their first in- 

 vestigations in such special lines as can be best carried on at the 

 Lick Observatory. While the main feature of the Berkeley 

 department will be to give proper instruction to its students, the 

 equipment of the observatory is proposed to be sufficiently com- 

 plete to give ample opportunity for the higher work of research 

 that the instructors and advanced students may be in a position to 

 undertake. The object of the circular is, as the writer mentions, 

 " to slate in detail my ideas concerning the proposed new ob- 

 servatory, and to seek the advice of men prominent in the 

 science of astronomy and in astronomical instruction elsewhere." 

 That the observatory will be fully equipped and suitable for the 

 work intended to be accomplished there will be little doubt, and 

 the question of cost is evidently a minor detail, for the Trustees 

 of the Plan invite opinion and request " suggestions irrespective 

 of cost which . . . will better adapt the new observatory for the 

 purposes which it is to serve." 



Some of the instruments suggested are : an equatorial refractor 

 of an aperture not greater than 16 inches ; four smaller telescopes 

 ranging from 6-10 inches aperture, one being a reflector ; com- 

 plete accessories for visual photographic, spectroscopic and 

 photometric work ; a 4-inch meridian circle, and four transit and 

 zenith telescopes. The circular gives also details of the sizes of 

 all the rooms for the instruments, laboratories, lectures, library, 

 &c., which it is proposed to build. 



Annual Report ok the Cambridge Observatory. — 

 In his report to the Observatory Syndicate, which covers a 

 period twelve months ending May last. Sir Robert Ball states 

 that the meridian instrument of the observatory has been de- 

 voted especially to the perfection of a complete catalogue (which 

 is ready for the press), by re-observing stars of which a single 

 observation had only been obtained. It has also been employed 

 in the determination of accurate places of a list of occultation 

 stars at the request of Colonel Tupman. The Northumberland 

 equatorial has been occasionally used for examining fixed stars 

 and planets, but is chiefly employed when visitors are 

 admitted. 



The work of the Newall telescope has been continued by 

 Mr. H. F. Newall on the same lines as in former years, namely, 

 the determination of the velocities of stars in the line of sight 

 as measured photographically. The stars chiefly used were 

 those of the solar type. In all 1 11 photographs of sixty minutes' 

 exposure each were obtained, giving material for the determin- 

 ation of velocity of forty-four stars. Twenty of these stars we're 

 of magnitudes greater than 2*5, and are included in the Potsdam 

 observations made in 1888-91 ; the remainder lie between 

 magnitudes 25 and 4"o, and were fainter than could be suc- 

 cessfully dealt with at Potsdam. Of these plates eighty-three 

 have been measured once, and twenty twice. 



The report further states that the new photographic telescope 

 is now finished at Sir Howard Grubb's works, and that the 

 building to house it has been practically completed. 



Annual Publication ok the Observatory ok Rio de 

 Janeiro for 1898. — This yearly publication of the Astro- 

 nomical Observatory of Rio de Janeiro is the fourteenth of the 

 present series, and will be found to contain a great deal of useful 

 information in addition to the ordinary data usually found in 

 astronomical almanacs. There will be found tables for the re- 

 duction of meteorological observations, and for calculating alti- 

 tudes from barometric observations by the methods of Laplace, 

 Bessel, Cruls, Weilenmann : meteorological observations for 

 several towns, such as Rio de Janeiro, Santa Cruz, Uberaba, 

 contained in Part vi., which also includes the magnetic el6- 



