200 



KNOWLEDGE 



[August 1, 1890. 



llh. 8m. P.M. A transit egress of the third satelhte at 

 Oh. 7m. A.M. on the 27th ; a transit egress of the shadow 

 of the first satellite at 8h. 11m. p.m. A transit ingress of 

 the second satellite at Oh. 44m. a.m. on the 28th. An 

 eclipse reappearance of the second satellite at llh. 9in. 

 41s. P.M. on the 29th. A transit egress of the fourth 

 satellite at llh. 8m. p.m. on the 30th. Jupiter describes 

 a short retrograde path in Capricornus during the mouth, 

 but does not approach any naked-eye star. 



Saturn is in conjunction with the sun at 7h. p.m. on the 

 'MMi. Uranus and Neptune are, for the purposes of the 

 amateur observer, invisible ; the latter planet being in 

 quadrature with the sun on the 30th. This month is one 

 of the most favourable ones for observing shooting stars in. 

 The most noted shower is that of the Perseids, with a 

 radiant point at the maximum display on August 10 in 

 K..\. llh. 52m. Decl. + 56°. Observations of this 

 region of the heavens with an opera-glass will, no doubt, 

 show stationary meteors, or meteors which shift their 

 positions very slowly. Their place and the direction of 

 their shift should be noted for the purpose of determining 

 whether the radiant is a geometrical point, or a circle, or 

 an elliptic area, as suggested with regard to the November 

 meteors (MoitJih/ yntirfu of the E.A.S., vol. xlvii. pp. 

 69-73). The radiant point souths at 5h. 37m. a.m. The 

 moon enters her last quarter at 2h. 19m. p.m. on the 7th, 

 is new at 4h. 20m. p.m. on the 15th ; enters her first 

 quarter at Ih. "iOm. p.m. on the 23rd, and is full at 

 4h. 35m. A.M. on the 30th. 



At 3h. 5m. A.M. on the 1st the 5| magnitude star 

 X Capricorn! will disappear at an angle of 154° from 

 the lunar vertex, and reajjpear at 4h. 4m. a.m. at an 

 angle of 303. On the 4th the 4i magnitude star 30 

 Piscium will disappear at Ih. 55m. a.m. at an angle of 

 170° from the vertex, and reappear at 2h. 30m. a.m. at 

 an angle of 234° fi-om the vertex ; while at 3h. 31m. 

 the same morning the 4| magnitude star 33 Piscium 

 will disappear at an angle of 136° from the vertex, and 

 reappear at 4h. 40m. a.m., ten minutes after sunrise, at an 

 angle of 309° fi-om the vertex. At llh. 34m. p.m. on the 

 9th the 5 magnitude t Tauri will make a near approach to 

 the lunar limb. At Ih. 9m. a.m. on the 10th the 6th mag- 

 nitude star 105 Tauri will disappear at an angle of 98° 

 ft'om the vertex, and reappear at lb. 58m. a.m. at an angle 

 of 215° from the vertex. The 4i magnitude star 1 

 Geminorum will disappear at 2h. 48m. a.m. on the 11th at 

 an angle of 31° from the vertex, and reappear at 3h. 40m. 

 A.M. at an angle of 270°. The 6|- magnitude star B.A.C. 

 2238 will disappear at Oh. 56m. a.m. on the 12th at an 

 angle of 39° from the vertex, the star being below the 

 horizon of Greenwich at the time, and reappear at Ih. 41m. 

 A.M. at an angle of 268°. The 5i magnitude star ij/ 

 Sagittarii will disappear at 6h. Im. p.m. (in bright sun- 

 light) on the 26th, at an angle of 90° from the vertex, and 

 reappear at 7h. 4m. p.m., five minutes after sunset, at an 

 ample of 225° from the vertex. The 5^ magnitude star 

 83 Capricorni will make a near approach to the lunar limb 

 at 6h. 27m. p.m. on the 28th, in bright sunlight, and at 

 llh. 26m. p.m. the same evening the 6th magnitude star 

 37 Capricorni will disappear at an angle of 47° from the 

 vertex, and reappear at llh. 50m. p.m. at an angle of 11° 

 from the vertex. At Oh. 35m. a.m. on the 29th the 4^ 

 magnitude star t Capricorni will disappear at an angle of 

 149° from the vertex, and reappear at Ih. 38m. a.m. at an 

 angle of 297° from the vertex ; and at 3h. 18m. the same 

 morning the 5th magnitude star k Capricorni will dis- 

 appear at an angle of 171° fi'om the vertex, and reappear 

 at 4h. 10m. a.m. at an angle of 306^ the star being below 

 the horizon of Greenwich at the time. 



fflSHi^ist eoltttnn. 



By W. Montagu Gattie. 



AMERICAN WHIST— THE "NEW PLAY." 



IN noticing last month the new treatise by " G. W. P." 

 on American Whist, we ventured to assert that the 

 beginner who should endeavour to master the mys- 

 teries of the " new play," as therein set forth, would 

 soon become hopelessly confused. Ha^dng now had 

 time to make a more thorough examination of the book, and 

 especially of the illustrative hands with which it concludes, 

 we are reluctantly compelled to admit that we were wrong 

 in restricting our remark to beginners. Entertaining, as 

 he does not scruple to declare, a very poor opinion of 

 English players, G. W. P. will probably not feel surprised 

 at their failing to understand his precepts ; but the fact is 

 none the less unfortunate as affecting the value of his work 

 in this country. From among a score of equally startling 

 dogmas it vrill be sufficient to take a single example. On 

 p. 99 we find this mandate : " Holding any two high 

 cards in sequence and no more of the suit, upon partner's 

 lead play the highest." We had imagined this to be the 

 simplest and most orthodox method of indicating a desire 

 for a trump lead. But G. W. P. goes on to say, " when 

 the other falls, it is not a call. The play is infonnatory, 

 and partner will judge as to his future lead." We have 

 endeavoured to apply this maxim to a practical case. A 

 holds four hearts to the ten and leads a small one ; 

 G. W. P., Es partner, holding queen, knave, only, plays 

 queen ; fourth hand wns vnth king. Presently A, ha^•ing 

 the lead again, continues the suit ; G. W. P. plays knave, 

 and fourth hand wins with ace. How is A to dinne 

 whether G. W. P. has another heart and is calling for 

 trumps, or whether the play is " informatory " that he has 

 no more hearts ? On what data is he to form a judgment 

 as to his future lead? And, again, how would G. W. P. 

 himself proceed, if he held queen, knave, and another 

 heart, and wished to call ? Or, to take a still more simple 

 case, supposing him to play nine and then eight on his 

 partner's lead of king and ace, would this be a call if he 

 held the knave also, but only " infonnatory " if he did 

 not ■? Either there must be this ambiguity, or G. W. P.'s 

 maxim renders it nearly always impossible for third hand 

 to call with two cards in sequence. 



The following is given as a specimen of a game won by 

 brilliant play, which, by the way, G. W. P. tells us is 

 " very occasional " in England. We give the game (v\ith 

 the notes) as it stands, appending our reasons for thinking 

 that it may also be described as a game lost by very bad 

 play. 





Sroir. — AIj, 6 ; CD, 4. [As explained "last month, the 

 American game is seven points up, and honours do not 

 count. In this case honours are divided, and, if we place 

 AB at 4, and CD at 2, we may consider the hand as having 

 been played under the English code, the point being that 

 CD require three by cards to make game.] 



B turns up the eight of clubs. 



