August 31, 1893] 



NATURE 



419 



eastwards or westwards as the case might be would have 

 to be considered in connection with one another. 



" From what has been said it is obvious that in the 

 intrasolstitial temples the list of available bright stars 

 and constellations is in the first instance limited to those 

 which lie within a few degrees of the ecliptic, and it will 

 be found that in the list above given and those which 

 follow, if we omit Eleusis, where the conditions were ex- 

 ceptional, all but one of the stars are found in the 

 zodiacal constellations. A very great limit is imposed 

 in the second place by one of the conditions being the 

 heliacal rising or settmg of those stars from which the 

 selection has to be made. So that when both these com- 

 bined limitations are taken into account it becomes im- 

 probable to the greatest degree that in every instance of 

 intrasolstitial temples of early foundation of which I have 

 accurate particulars, being twenty-eight in number and 

 varying in their orientation from 21^ N. to 18' 25' S. of 

 the true east. There should be found a bright heliacal 

 star or constellation in the right position at dates not 

 in themselves improbable unless the temples had been so 

 oriented as to secure this combination. 



" I have just been looking into the number of possible 

 stars which could have been used, i.e. within the limits of 

 the greatest distance from the ecliptic that could have 

 been utilised. 



" The stars which could have been utilised in addition to 

 the seven which serve for nearly thirty temples are ten 

 only, viz. : — 



Aldebaran. 



I'oUux. 



/8 Arietis. 



3 Taiiri. 



a and /3 Capricorn! as a group. 



(8 Libra;, 

 a Librge. 

 a Leonis. 

 7 Leonis. 

 3 Leonis. 



" If the orientations had been placed at random would 

 not our thirty temples have made many misses in aiming 

 at these seventeen stars, it being necessary also to hit 

 exactly the heliacal margin ? And would they have 

 secured anything like a due archaological sequence "i 



" Another point is this : — 



"Whenever a star less than first magnitude is used 

 (Pleiades only excepted) it has been necessary to secure 

 coincidence to give it several more degrees of sun 

 depression than in the cases of Spica and Antares."] 



BRIT/SH ASSOCIATION MEETING. 

 pURTHER information is now to hand as to the 



scientific work which has been arranged for the ' 

 approaching meeting of the Association at Nottmgham. \ 



In Section A two papers have beea received on 

 " Physics Teaching in Schools." G. H. Bryan contributes 

 an interesting paper on " The IVloon's Atmosphere and J 

 the Kinetic Theory of Gases," showing that every planet j 

 must be throwing off some of its atmosphere on the \ 

 kinetic theory, though at an exceedingly slow rate in the 

 case of the larger bodies. Prof. J. J. Thomson will 

 exhibit and explain a new form of air-pump, which will 

 be of interest to sections A and B. Prof. Viriamu Jones 

 is sending a paper on " Standards of Low Electrical 

 Resistance." 



As reported by Prof. Emerson Reynolds on p. 416, 

 Section li has been most fortunate in securing a pro- 

 mise from M. Moissan to describe and demonstrate the 

 preparation and properties of fluorine. This will probably 

 have the effect of inducing chemists from all parts of this 

 country to visit Nottingham, as the demonstration has 

 never yet been made in this country, and is of almost 

 ifiique importance and interest. It is anticipated that 

 M- Moissan's communication will be put down for 

 Mo.day, September 18, and will probably include the 

 exhiUtion of his artificial diamonds. Prof. Percy Frank- 

 VO. r244. VOL 4S] 



land will introduce the discussion on " Bacteriology in 

 its Chemical Aspects" on Friday, 15, and amongst 

 other papers will be one by J. T. Wood, on "A New 

 Bran Bacterium." Tuesday, 19, will probably be mainly 

 devoted to the discussion of " Colliery Explosions," 

 introduced by Prof. H. B. Uixon, one of H M. Commis- 

 sioners. On this day further communicalions on flame 

 researches are also expected. The President's address 

 is put down for twelve o'clock on Thursday, September 

 14; it will deal essentially with "The Comparative 

 Chemistry of the Elements," specially treating of carbon 

 and silicon, and of silico-organic researches ; showing 

 further that it is possible in the light of recent knowledge 

 to fill in some details of the chemical history of the 

 earth. Dr. Phookan has promised a description of his 

 recent researches on the " Rate of Evaporation of Bodies 

 in Different Atmospheres." 



In Section C Prof. Hull will read a paper "On the 

 Water-supply of Nottingham" ; Mr. Walcot Gibson, one 

 on " The Geology of British East Africa " ; Prof. Brogger 

 will describe " The Eruptive Rocks of the Christiania 

 District"; E. T. Newton, "The Trias Reptiles" ; Prof. 

 Sollas, "The Carlingford Rocks" and " Glendalough 

 Amphibolite"; R. M. Deeley, "The Drifts of the Trent 

 Valley"; and Prof. Iddings, of Chicago, "The Petrology 

 of a Dissected Volcano." Amongst other papers already 

 promised are the following: — "The Gypsum Deposits of 

 Nottinghamshire," by A. T. Metcalfe " ; " Derbyshire 

 Toadstone," by H. A. Bemrose ; " Mollusca from the 

 English Trias," by R. B. Newton ; "Transported Mass 

 of Chalk in Boulder-clay of Culworth, in Huntingdon- 

 shire," by A. and C. Cameron ; " Some Volcanic Rocks 

 of South Pembrokeshire," by F. T. Howard and E. W. 

 Small ; " Midland Trias," by Dr. A. Irving ; " Limestone 

 Inclusions in the White Sill," by E. T. Garwood. 



Two further papers are sent in for Section D — one by 

 Prof. Gilson, of Louvain, on " Cytological Difference in 

 Homologous Organs," and one by G. B. Rothera, on 

 " Some Vegetal Galls and their Inhabitants.'' 



In connection with Section E the exhibition of the 120 

 pictures painted on an Antarctic sealing expedition by 

 Mr. Burn-Murdoch has been referred to. The discussion 

 on the " Limits between Geography and Geology" will 

 be introduced by Mr. Clements R. Markham, Pres.R.G.S. 

 Mr. Delmar Morgan will summarise our knowledge of 

 Thibet, and Miss Taylor will describe her recent journey 

 in that country. Mrs. Grove will read a paper on the 

 " Islands of Chiloe." Mr. E. G. Ravenstein will give an 

 account of recent African travel ; and a large number of 

 other papers are promised, many of which are of more 

 than ordinary mterest. The illustration of miny of these 

 papers by lantern photographs will be a special feature. 



With respect to Sections F and G there is at piesent 

 nothing further to add to the original statement made a 

 few weeks since. 



In Section H Mrs. Grove promises a paper, " The Eth- 

 nographic Aspects of Dancing." Prof. Boyd Dawkins, 

 who is now on a visit to Glastonbury, intimates his inten- 

 tion to discuss the scientific bearings of the discoveries 

 made at the lake village in that neighbourhood ; and, in 

 order that the members may be better able to understand 

 the structural details of the woodwork exposed in the 

 course of the excavations. Dr. Munro proposes to give an 

 illustrative sketch of the different methods adopted in 

 the construction of lake-dwellings. Hitherto lake-dwel- 

 ling researches have furnished little evidence of the kind 

 of houses erected on the artificial islands, but during last 

 autumn a crannog was investigated in Argyllshire which 

 has disclosed some remarkable information on this point. 

 The discussion on lake-dwellings is fixed for Sept. 19, 

 and as this important subject has formerly only inci- 

 dentally come before the Association, the occasion 

 promises to be most instructive to all interested in the 

 early history of Britain. Among the other papers sent to 



