196 



KNO^A^LEDGE 



[April 1, 18S6. 



could imagine me to be in earnest in rebuting the society 

 for theii' evil ways in encouraging the spread of truth. Of 

 course I think the society altogether right. What tickled 

 me, and still tickles me immensely, was the absurdity of the 

 comments made by one or two strangely-minded persons 

 about a paper which is as entirely inconsistent with the 

 Bible genealogy of the Semite itice as it could well be. I 

 am always very much am\ised by examples of the Rogue 

 Eiderhood style of glorification — the iVoc'-say-I'm-a-liar tone 

 — which feelile-minded persons display when such ancient re- 

 cords as the Cuneiform cosmogony, the account of Tzdubar, and 

 the like, or tablets relating to events whieli happened of old 

 in Palestine, are bi-ought to light. Something in the Hebrew 

 record corresponds with snmetliing in the ancient record on 

 rock or clay, relating no doubt to the same events, and 

 immediately most of the half-educated among the clei'gy 

 .'and, alas ! they are many) proclaim their joy in a tone 

 implying a most unreverent astonishment ; as if they went 

 about in constant fear lest records should appear proving the 

 Bible history (probably accurate in mo^t of its details) to 

 be false and misleading. I know none who so gravely insult 

 and oppugn the Bible records as these loudest-voiced and 

 least cultured of the clerical community. It is refreshing 

 to turn from such weaknesses to the writings of men like 

 Ainold, Stanley, Temple, and Abbott. 



* * * 



It has been ai'ranged that I should deliver two more 

 discourses at South Place Chapel, Finsbury Circus — viz., 

 Sunday, April 4, on " The Bible and Science ; " Sunday, 

 April 11, on "The Bible and Duty." The hour on each 

 occasion is 11.15 a.m.; admission free. 



* * * 



I Asr pleased to see that the London Stereoscopic 

 Company, Limited, will hold their second annual Inter- 

 national Amateur Photographic E.xhibition at Archibald 

 Kamsden's Pianoforte Galleries. 103 New Bond Street, 

 from April 1.5 to May 2i current, under the patronage of 

 the Princess Frederica, the profits to be given to the 

 Princess's Convalescent Home at Hampton Coiirt. Photo- 

 graphy has, of lat« years, advanced by rapid stiides. and, 

 besides atfording almost unlimited pleasure and instruction 

 to amateurs who pursue it, it has proved a veritable boon in 

 njany ways to the science student. I hope the exhibition 

 may prove an unqualified success. 



* * * 



A FRIEND points out that a number of the expressions 

 under the head " Americanisms " are English too. I know 

 it. But they are properly called Americanisms all the same, 

 in being much more widely and generally used in America 

 than in the old country. For instance, everyone knows that 

 Bundling, regarded as a custom, has prevailed in Wales for 

 hundreds of years, and it is said still to exist in certain 

 English-speaking counties, where doubtless the word also 

 existed long before it came to be r.sed in New England. 

 Yet the word "bundle" .so used is undoubtedly an 

 Americanism. 



* * * 



So " of no account " is English, yet to speak of " a no- 

 account man " is an Americanism, and indicates the more 

 general use even of the original expression in America. 

 " Bang-up " appears in Pierce Egan's elegant writings, but 

 in America is probably older than George lY.'s time, and 

 is now certainly more common there than here. " Beat," 

 used as in the sentence " that beats everything," is as widely 

 English as any expiession can well be ; and I fancy Mr. 

 John Brown used the expression, " Did anyone ever see 



the beat of that ? " on some occasion described in a certain 

 awe-inspii-ing diary. Yet the multiplied foims of the use 

 of " beat " as noun and verb must be regarded as charac- 

 teristic of American talk. " I am bound to win " is as 

 English as " I am bound to admit," yet no one who has 

 noticed the multitudinous ways in which the word " bound " 

 is used in America can doubt its having achieved the posi- 

 tion of an Americanism. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR APRIL. 



By F.R.A.S. 



[In resuming (in accordance with the Editorial announcement on 

 page 164) this series of descriptive notices of the aspect of the 

 sky during the successive months of the year, we would point 

 out that for their profitable use and apprehension the student 

 should provide himself with the volume of maps entitled "The 

 Stars in their Seasons," by the Conductor ff KNOWLEoeE, and 

 should also carefully read the papers on " The Phenomena of 

 Jupiter's Satellites," and on "Lunar Occultations," on pages 126 

 and 267 respectively of our fifth volume. With which prelimi- 

 nary advice we proceed to the immediate subject of our Notes.] 



HE sun should be examined on every clear day for 

 spots and facula'. The period of maximum being 

 now definitely past, no such splendid individual 

 spots and groups as appeared in 1884-8.5 are now 

 visible ; but still at less frequent intervals very 

 fine and striking indications of disturbance appear 

 on the sun's disc. At the beginning of the month 

 the zodiacal light may still be seen in tlie west 

 after sunset. Tlie night sky is depicted in map iv. 

 of " The Stars in their Seasons." Minima of the rtmarkable variable 

 star Algol in Perseus (" The Stars in their Seasons," map xii.) will 

 occur on April 10, at 2h, 49m. A.M.; on April 12, llh. 3Sm, P.M. ; 

 and on April 15, at 8h. 27m. P.M. For all practical purposes 

 Mercury will be invisible during April, as he comes into inferior 

 conjunction with the sun, or, in other words, between the sun and 

 the earth, at four o'clock in the early morning of the tHh. Venus 

 may be seen glittering brilliantly to the south of east before sun- 

 rise. In the telescope she exhibits a beautiful crescent just now. 

 Mars is visible through the entire working night of the ordinary 

 amateiu-, and will be seen as a fiery-red star to the east and north 

 of p Leonis (" The Stars in their Season=," map iv.) The dark 

 markings or "seas "and the Polar snow are still fairly observable 

 even in a three-inch teIe.scope, but the angular diameter of the 

 planet diminishes towards the latter part of April. He is now 

 slightly gibbous — i.r., not quite round. Jupiter is a noble object in 

 any telescope. He will be found between B and tj Virginis (" The 

 Stars in their Seasons," map iv.) His angular equatorial diameter 

 is 41-2" on April 1, but by the 30th it has diminished to 39-4'. The 

 phenomena of his satellites visible before 1 A.M. are numerous and 

 interesting. Beginning with to-night : a transit of Satellite I. willcom- 

 menceat llh. 9m., followed by thai of its shadow at llh. 24m. On the 

 2nd, Satellite I. will be occulted at 8h. 20m. p.m., as will Satellite II. 

 at 9h. 23m. Then at lOh. SOm. .50s. Satellite I. will reappear from 

 eclipse. Satellite II. similarly reappearing 42m. 4 7s. after midnight. 

 On the 3rd, Satellite I. will pass off Jupiter's face at 7h. SOm. p.m., 

 as will its shadow at 8h. 9m. On the 4th, the shadow of Satellite III. 

 will enter on to the planet's face at 7h. 50m. P.M.. and the satellite 

 casting it leave his opposite limb at 9h, 21m., its shadow not 

 quitting the disc of Jupiter until lOh. 47m. All transits of the 

 two outer satellites should be sedulously watched, as they, prac- 

 tically invariably, cross Jupiter's face as </ar!; spots, besides pre- 

 senting other curious phenomena. On the 5th the shadow of 

 Satellite IV. will enter on his limb at 1 Ih. 49m. P.M. On the 8th 

 Satellite I. will begin lis transit 54 minutes after midnight. On the 

 9th the same satellite will be occulted at lOh 5m. P.M., as will 

 Satellite II. at llh. 30m. Then at I2h. 44m. 46s., Satellite I. will 

 reappear from eclipse. On the 10th the ingress of the shadow of 

 Satellite I., the egress of the satellite casting it, and the subsequent 

 eo-ress of the shadow will follow each other in succession at 7h. 48m., 

 9h. 35m., and lOh. 4m. P.M. respectively. On the lltb. Satellite II. 

 will pass olf the planet's limb at 8h. 48m. P.M., as will its 

 shadow at 9h. 49m. Then Satellite III. will begin its transit 

 at 9h. 51m., followed by its shadow at llh. 49m. The 

 Satellite will leave Jupiter's opposite limb at 12h. 41m. p.m., tlie 



