424 



NA TURE 



[Sei'Tember 2, 1897 



Snake {Leptodira\ hotamlxxia), three Crossed Snakes (Psam- 

 mophis crucifer) from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, presented by 

 Mr. J. E. Matcham ; a Brown Capuchin {Cebits fatitelhis) from 

 Guiana, deposited ; a Rough Fox (Cants riidis) from Guiana, 

 two Black-throated Weaver Birds {Ploceus atrigularis), two 

 Bengal Weaver Birds (Ploceus bengaktisis) from India, pur- 

 chased ; a Barbary Wild Sheep [Ovis tragelaphus), born in the 

 Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 



Relationship between the Masses and Distances 

 OF THE Planets. — In a previous number of Nature (vol. Iv. 

 No. 1433) Mr. G. E. Sutcliffe, writing from Bombay, suggested 

 a relationship between the masses and distances of the four 

 superior planets. He found that when the masses and distance 

 of each of the planets were multiplied together, the resulting 

 numbers formed a series in geometrical progression having a 

 common ratio of i'839i, this latter number being nearly equal 

 to the mean distance of Saturn (i '8338) when the mean dis- 

 tance of Jupiter is taken as unity. In a recent communication 

 to us he has worked out the case of the inferior planets, with 

 the result that the relationship of these planets to one another 

 is not the same as obtained in the previous investigation. The 

 ratios are still, however, in powers of the same value of R (the 

 common ratio), namely i'839i ; and for this reason Mr. Sutcliffe 

 suggests that this number is perhaps one of the constants of the 

 solar system. In the same comnmnication he gives a formula 

 which expresses the mass of the sun in terms of the masses and 

 distances of Venus, the earth and the moon, and from this he 

 investigates the question of whether there is a planet which 

 bears the same relationship to Jupiter that the earth and moon 

 do to Venus. The mass, distance, and period of this hypo- 

 thetical planet are given, but we doubt considerably its actual 

 existence. 



The Madras Observatory.— Mr. C. Michie-Smith, the 

 Government astronomer at Madras, tells us in his report for the 

 year ending March 31, that, as regards the staff, the Govern- 

 ment has sanctioned the revival of the appointment of a chief 

 assistant. The past year has been conspicuous by the great 

 amount of heavy rain, and both the director's and assistants' 

 houses have suffered considerably. Observations for time have, 

 as usual, been carried on, and the investigation for the determina- 

 tion of the divisions error of the Meridian Circle has been com- 

 pleted, no less than 72,192 micrometer readings being employed. 

 The Madras Catalogue has further advanced, and the mean places 

 for the first sixteen hours have been deduced. Proposals have 

 been sanctioned for observing the total eclipse of the sun next 

 January, and Karad has been fixed upon as the most suitable 

 station. 



STATIONS FOR OBSERVING THE TOTAL 

 ECLIPSE OF THE SUN IN JANUARY 1898. 



'T'HE land path of the line of the total eclipse of the sun com- 

 ■*■ mences from a little south of Ratnagiri, on the Bombay 

 coast, and runs in a north-easterly direction to Nepal, passing 

 nearly over Mount Everest, and then disappears in Thibet. 

 The shadow of the moon will therefore pass through parts of 

 the Bombay Presidency, through Hyderabad, Berars, Central 

 Provinces, and parts of Central India, Bengal, and North-west 

 Provinces. The length of the path through India is about a 

 thousand miles, and the width of the shadow roughly fifty miles. 

 Hence the area from which observations could be taken is 

 enormous. In India, however, facilities for travelling simply do 

 not exist at all over by far the greater part of the country ; and 

 as accommodation for European travellers is even more scanty 

 than the means of transport, the number of stations from which 

 observations of the forthcoming eclipse are likely to be made is 

 much smaller than would be expected. As the duration of the 

 total phase of the eclipse on the central line decreases from 

 about two minutes ten seconds on the Bombay coast, to about 

 one minute forty seconds in parts of Bengal and the North-west 

 Provinces, the natural tendency will be for observers to prefer 

 the western stations. In addition, too, it would appear that 



NO. 1453, VOL. 56] 



the meteorological conditions are more favourable at the western 

 than at the eastern or central stations on the line of totality. 



The majority of travellers visiting India for the purpose of 

 observing or seeing the total eclipse will land either at Bombay 

 or Calcutta, probably at the former station. From Bombay 

 several parts of the line of totality can be comfortably visited. 

 The stations on the Bombay coast can be very easily reached by 

 the local steamers of the Bombay Steam Navigation Company. 

 As at present arranged, there is a daily passenger steamer to and 

 from Bombay, calling at such ports as Ratnagiri and Viziadurg, 

 which are close to the central line, and at Jaygad, which is close 

 to the north limit of the line of totality, and at Dewgad, which 

 if just within the southern limit. Combined pa.ssenger and cargo 

 steamers also leave Bombay for some of these ports twice or 

 three times weekly. The journey only takes from twelve to 

 eighteen hours each way. The fares are cheap, the first- 

 class fare from Bombay to Ratnagiri being seven rupees ; the 

 second, two rupees ; and the third, one rupee four annas. It 

 should be remembered that these fares do not include food ; also 

 that the steamers are small, even the combined passenger and 

 cargo steamers having only about five cabins. Hence passen- 

 gers should take their own bedding and food, and, for comfort's 

 sake, should travel with their own servants. 



Several other points on the line of totality can be reached by 

 the railway from Bombay. Commencing with the lines of com- 

 munication from the west side of India, the train can be taken via 

 Kalyan Junction to Poona, passing through the Ghats. From 

 Poona two lines diverge, one to Satara, which is a little north 

 of the central line of totality and well within the northern limit, 

 and from thence to Koregaon, &c. , while the second line passes 

 through Sholapur to Hyderabad, &c. ; but on this second line 

 there are no considerable stations within the line of totality, nor 

 are there any towns within reasonable distance of the railway, 

 though the smaller stations of Indapur and Kumbhargaon may 

 be easily reached. 



Another section of the line of totality can be visited from 

 Bombay by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway vid Kalyan 

 Junction to Bhusawal Junction, proceeding thence to Amraoti, 

 Pulgaon, VVarda, and Nagpore. Pulgaon and Nagpore are said 

 to be good stations for the purpose of observation. It should 

 also be stated that Nagpore can be easily reached from Calcutta 

 by the East Indian and Bengal Nagpore lines of railway, the 

 latter railway being joined at Assensole Junction on the East 

 Indian Railway. 



Another section of the line of totality can be reached by con- 

 tinuing the journey by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway 

 from Bhusawal Junction to Jubbalpore, where the East Indian 

 Railway is joined, and then passing southwards from Katni by 

 the Bilaspur branch. Again, this railway line crosses the path 

 of the moon's shadow at a point where there are no towns of any 

 importance. 



The other parts of the line of totality which are crossed by 

 the lines of railway could be reached either from Bombay by 

 continuing the journey from Bombay to Allahabad, and then 

 turning southwards on the East Indian main line, or more 

 easily by making Calcutta the starting point, and proceeding 

 northwards from there. The main line of the East Indian 

 Railway crosses the line of totality from a little south of Benares 

 to a little north of Arrah, the considerable station of Buxar 

 being almost on the central line. There is also a small branch 

 line leading to (Jhazipur, which is said to be a good place for 

 observations, and is also a fair- sized station. Again, leaving 

 the East Indian Railway at Bankipore by means of the Bengal 

 and North-western Railway, the path of the shadow can be 

 easily visited, the considerable station of Chupra being near 

 the southern limit. Again, by leaving the East Indian Railway 

 at Mokameh, two sections of the shadow path can be reached 

 by the Bengal and North-western and Tirhoot Railway, and 

 the most considerable station on these two lines is Motiharee. 



There are, therefore, eight sections of the path of the eclipse 

 which are cut by various railways, in addition to the coast line 

 which can be reached by the line of steamers : so that nine 

 sections, or stations on the central line, could be easily occupied 

 if necessary. 



A considerable amount of local information as to sites suitable 

 for observing parties has been collected by a committee of the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal at Calcutta,' and in connection with 



1 Copies of the informatiun collected could probably be obtained by appli- 

 cation to the Honorary Secretary, Bengal Asiatic Society, 57 Park Street, 

 Calcutta. 



