502 



NATURE 



June 23, 1910 



Observations at the Stockholm Observatory were inter- 

 fered with by heavy skies, but Dr. Bohlin reports that 

 some photographs were obtained on orthochromatic plates 

 used in conjunction with a yellow screen. 



Further negative results, accruing from careful observa- 

 tions made on May i8 and the following days, are recorded 

 by Father S. Chevalier in a special circular from the L6-Se 

 Observatory. The sun was observed directly and by projec- 

 tion by several observers, but no trace of' the comet was 

 seen on the disc about the computed time of transit. 

 Photographs were also obtained, and clearly showed dark 

 pores of 2' diameter on the disc, but no trace of the comet. 

 It therefore appears unlikely that any part of the comet 

 having a diameter of 0-5", or, actually, 60 km., was dense 

 enough to be registered on the plate. 'The magnetic curves, 

 of which reproductions accompany the circular, obtained at 

 the Lu-Kia-Pang Observatory on May 17, 18, and 19, show- 

 no perturbations which could with certainty be ascribed to 

 cometary influence. 



The Comptes rendtis for June 13 (\o. 24) contains several 

 interesting notes concerning observations of the comet at 

 various observatories. 



M. Marchand reports that at the Pic-du-Midi station the 

 solar halo seen from May 19 to 25 was still visible on 

 May 31 and June 2 with the same diameter, 3° or 4°, but 

 much paler, and a notable sunset effect was seen on 

 May 31. Such an effect has not been recorded for several 

 years, and is ascribed to the presence of very tenuous matter 

 in the atmosphere at great altitudes. 



MM. Cirera and Pericas describe the varying forms of 

 the comet as observed at the Observatoire de I'Edia (Spain) 

 from May i to June 6. A table of the apparent and real 

 lengths — the latter given in astronomical units — shows that 

 up till May 12 the increase in the length of the tail was 

 continuous, but a decrease was noted on May 26, followed 

 by further progressive increase until June 2 ; observations on 

 some of the intermediate dates were interfered with by 

 ■clouds. It is suggested that the fluctuation was possibly 

 produced by the earth capturing several million kilometre's 

 of the tail during the predicted passage on May 19. Photo- 

 graphs were secured on a number of dates during May and 

 the first week in June, but bad weather prevented a' con- 

 tinuous series frorn being obtained. The series shows, 

 however, some striking changes in the form, extent, and 

 brightness of the nucleus and head, especially about May 27 ; 

 on May 30 the coma was much less bright and extensive. 



M. Egmitis reports on the observations of the tail, made 

 at the Athens Observatory on May 18, 19, and 20. On the 

 Thursday morning, about an hour before the computed time 

 of passage, the tail was seen to be nearly straight, but 

 having a slight curvature, which may have been due to the 

 proximity of the earth to the comet's orbit plane. At 3 

 o'clock on the Friday morning the tail was nearly 130° 

 long, but no trace of it could be found on the Saturday 

 morning. On the Friday evening, however, it was seen, 

 like a crescent moon, and on Saturday evening w^as some 

 30° long. Observations of the sun's disc during the time of 

 transit failed to reveal any sign of the comet. 



MM. J. Baillaud and Boinot discuss, in detail, the 

 transformations of the nucleus depicted on the photographs 

 taken at the Paris Observatory on May 30 and 31 and 

 June 2. A sudden transformation took place in the nucleus 

 on May 31, the previously extensive elliptical form giving 

 way to a circular condensation with bright extensions. 

 Secondary condensations appeared, some of which were only 

 temporary ; but one of them persisted undiminished until 

 June 2, and the authors liken the phenomenon to the 

 doubling which occurred in the case of Bicla's comet. 



In No. 6, vol. Ixx., of the Monthly Notices (R.A.S.) Dr. 

 Rambaut publishes positions of the comet determined from 

 photographs secured at the Radcliffe Observatory, with the 

 24-inch telescope, between November 7, 1909, and 

 February II. Such places depending upon stars generally 

 taken from the Astrographic Catalogue will be invaluable 

 in the subsequent discussions of the orbit ; the comet was 

 first picked up at the Radcliffe Observatory on November 5, 

 1909. 



Mr. H. H. Gruning, of Ealing, sends us an interesting 

 account of his observations of the comet. Between April 18 

 and June 18, using five-times field glasses (2-inch aperture), 

 he saw the comet fourteen times, and on ten of these 

 occasions it was visible to the naked eye. No tail was seen 



NO. 2 12 I, VOL. 83] 



except on May 31 and June i, when, with the glasses, i 

 was able to follow it to a distance of 1°. These carefuii 

 made observations well illustrate, when compared with 

 glowing reports from lower latitudes, the disadvant. 

 under which we, in this country, have laboured during u 

 present return of the famous comet. 



Another correspondent sends us a cutting from th 

 Lancashire Daily Post for June i, in which Mr. L 

 Whitaker reports a remarkable phenomenon observed a 

 Salterforth at about 3.30 a.m. on May 26. According i 

 this report, a tail about 40° in length was seen risin 

 from the eastern horizon. It would be of interest to hav 

 further records of this curious phenomenon. 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW SOUTH 

 WALES. 



'FHE Royal Society of New South Wales is the oldes 

 scientific society in Australasia and in the souther 

 hemisphere, unless there are older ones in South Americ 

 or South Africa, and it will be able to celebrate it 

 centenary in another eleven years. 



It was started in 182 1 in a similar way to the Roya 

 Society of London, under the name of the Philosophies 

 Society of Australasia, by a small band of friends, ten ii 

 number, under the presidency of the Governor, Sir Thoma 

 Brisbane, K.C.B., F.R.S., who met at each other's houses 

 where papers were read and discussed ; there was a penalt 

 of 10^ for any member failing to present a paper in hi 

 turn. They also lent each other books, as there was n 

 public library in those days and hardly a bookseller in th 

 whole of Australia. 



The first members were Mr. Alexander Berry, whos: 

 brother, Mr. David Berry, died in 1889 at the age of ninet} 

 seven, and left ioo,oooZ. to his Alma Mater, St. .Andrew: 

 University, N.B., and the same amount to found a hospit; 

 in New South Wales — the writer of this, a member of i 

 society, knew Mr. A. Berry, and thus the chain of memb 

 ship has been kept up since 182 1 ; Dr. Henry Gratta 

 Douglas, who in after years was one of the prime mov^r 

 in founding the first university of Australia, viz. th 

 University of Sydney ; Judge Barron Field, of the Suprem 

 Court of Australia, author of a work upon Australia, pul 

 lished by John Murray in London in 1825 ; Major Gou 

 burn. Colonial Secretary ; Mr. Patrick Hill, Colon:, 

 Surgeon ; Captain Philip Parker King, R.N., afterwar 

 F.R.S. and Rear-Admiral, a son of Philip Gidley Kir 

 third Governor of New South Wales, who surveyed lii 

 north coast of Australia, and later on was engaged in th 

 Adventure and Beagle surveying expedition along th 

 coast of South America — it is interesting to note tha 

 the Hon. Philip Gidley King, M.L.C., a son of Admin 

 Philip Parker King, born in 1817, served as an officer o 

 board the Beagle with Charles Darwin, and was a membe 

 of the society until four or five years ago ; Lieut. Job 

 Oxley, R.N., Surveyor-General, who was one of the dU 

 tinguished early explorers in Australia ; Dr. Charle 

 Staggard Rumker, astronomer, who started the fir* 

 observatory in Australia ; and Mr. Edward Wolstonecrafl 

 .As previously stated, the Governor, Sir Thomas Brisbani 

 F.R.S., was the president. For many years the Governc 

 of Australia, and later of New South Wales up to 18741 

 was alwavs the president, and some of the earlier one 

 like Sir f. Brisbane and Sir W^ Denison, F.R.S. (aft« 

 wards, for a short time, Governor-General of India), wei 

 men of scientific attainments who not only took a sped< 

 interest in the society, but attended its meetings regulaJlj 

 and contributed several papers. *' 



Some of the first papers read before the society wer'' 

 collected by His Honour Judge Barron Field, and pu 

 lished by John Murray in a book entitled " Geographic, 

 Memoirs' of New South W'ales," and it is interesting J 

 note that the subjects which engaged the attention oi w 

 members in those early days are typical of the majoril 

 of the papers presented to the society ninety years later 

 e.g. the following were amongst those read in 1822 :- 

 (i) on the aborigines of New Holland and Van Diemen 

 Land, by Barron Field : (2) on the geology of part of th 

 coast of New South Wales, by Alexander Berry ; (3) o 

 the astronomy of the southern hemisphere, by Di 



