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346 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[JcSE 6, 1883. 



Then 



Fiercer bUU the wilil utorin-blastKrow, 

 The sea olianfjed nt onco from deepest blue 

 To a (lark ami greasy, slojipy green. 



But even this unpleasant state of things only heralded 



worse, for — 



As squall followed squall in infernal roar, — 

 Such an awful tumult I'd ne'er heard before. 

 Who e'er would have thought but a few hours past 

 That such fearful weather for a week could last ? 



The barque was thrown on her beam ends, and though 

 "now and then when it ceased to blow we righted a 

 moment ' it was 



" Only to fall 

 Down flat with a jerk that electrified all ; " 



Evidently the crew had a shocking bad time. The worst 

 of the trouble, however, was to come. The ship after 

 several days sprang a leak, which blanch'd every cheek, for 



'twas awful to think 

 That our cargo was such that she could not sin!:. 



Therefore, all hands naturally went to the pumps ; but as 

 she could not sink, 



we worked in vain, 

 For days we kept up the fearful strain, 



Till the useless toil severely told. 

 We left off exhausted, worn out, one by one — 

 The skipper admitted no more could be done. 



There is nothing more impressive, perhaps, in modern 

 poetry than this, unless it be found in Gilbert's touching 

 lines — 



For a month we'd neither wittles nor drink, 



Till a hungry we did feel. 



Being rather tired after working several days at the pumps, 

 the crew 



" wish'd she'd sink, 

 But knew she would not ; there on the brink 

 Of death ever present days we stood 

 Lash'd to the poop-rails." 



How the crew of the waterlogged barque was eventually 

 saved, we leave the penny-reader to disclose, sure that every 

 soul in an audience which has heard the whole of this 

 poem — the gem of the collection — will feel with him as he 

 utters the closing lines — 



"of all I've passed through in my day, 

 That most miserable time bears the blackest mark, 

 For the worst of all was ' The Water-logged Barque.'" 



Some of the other poems in the volume are almost 

 equally fine, yet none quite so grand as this one. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY. 



Fbom June 8 to June 22. 

 By F.R.A.S. 



THE period of maximum Solar disturbance has now certainly 

 passed, but watch should still be kept for occasional outbreaks 

 of spots, etc. The face of the night sky will be found delineated in 

 Map VI. of " The Stars in their Seasons." Twilight now persists 

 all night long in the British Islands ; hence it is an unfavourable 

 time for observing nebulaj and similar objects. As regards the 

 planets, the heavens are really a practical blank during the next 

 fortnight. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter. Saturn, Uraims, and Neptune 

 being quite invisible, and Venus onl)- twinkling as a little disc less 

 than 12" in diameter near the eastern horizon just before sun- 

 rise. The moon's age at noon to day (8th) is 32 days, and on the 

 22nd obviously she will be 17'2 days old. Hence from the 8th to 

 the 17th, and on the 21st and 22nd she will be in a succession of 

 favourable phases for the observer with the telescope. Four occul- 

 tations (all of 0th magnitude stars) will occur at convenient hours 

 during the period of which we are treating. The first happens on 



Juno 10, when 14 Seitantis will disappear at the moon's dark 

 limb at 'J h. 10 m. p.m. at an angle of 130' from her vertex, and re- 

 ap]iear at 10 h. 6 m. p.m. at her bright limb at an angle of 202° from 

 the vertex of the moon. On the 14th 50 Virginis will disap])ear at 

 the dark limb at 8 h 51 m. in the evening at an angle from the moon's 

 vertex of 104°; reappearing at 10 h. 8 m. p.m. at her bright limb 

 at a vertical angle of 252°. On the 17th 41 Librse will disappear at 

 midnight at the moon's dark limb at an angle of 23° from her 

 vertex; to reappear 14 minutes later at her bright limb at an angle 

 from her vertex of 5°. Finally 16 Sagittarii will disappear at the 

 bright limb of the moon at 8 h. 55 m. p.m. on June 20, at an angle 

 of 20° from her vertex. It will really reappear at her dark limb, 

 but she will be so nearly full at this instant, that the reappearance 

 of the star will apparently occur at the bright part of her limb, 

 situated at an angle or 282' from her vertex, at 9 h. 57 m. p.m. The 

 moon will be in Cancer during the whole of the 8th and part of the 

 0th, during which day she will pass into Leo. On the 10th she will 

 travel across Sextans, and so re-enter the eastern part of Leo on the 

 succeeding day. During the 12th she pas.scs into Virgo, remaining 

 in that constellation during the whole of the 13th, 14th, and 15th. 

 The IGth finds her in Libra, where she continues during the succeed- 

 ing day. On the 18th she crosses Scorpio into the southern part of 

 Ophiuchus, moving on the 20th through Serpens into Sagittarius, 

 where we leave her. 



" Let Knowledge grow from more to more." — Alfked Texxtson. 



Sfttfiei to ti)t emov. 



Only a small proportion of Letters received can possibly he in- 

 serted. Correspondents must not be offended, therefore, should their 

 letters not appear. 



All Hditorial communications sho^dd be addressed to the Editob op 

 Knowledge; all Business communications to the Publishers, at the 

 Office, 74; Great Queen-street, W.C. If this is not attended to, 

 delays arise foe which the Editor is not responsible. 



All Remittances, Cheques, and Post Office Orders should be made 

 payable to Messrs. Wyman & Sons. 



The Editor is not responsible for the opinions of corre fmdenls. 



No communications are answered by post, even though stamped 

 AND directed envelope be enclosed. 



SINGULAR SOLAR PHENOMENON. 

 [839] — Last Sunday (May 26), while observing the sun with my 

 3-inch refractor, power 200, 1 was surprised to find that the lower left 

 limb, as seen in the telescope, presented the following appearance : — 

 The projecting piece was of a greenish-yellow colour, which at first 

 led me to fancy that the effect was due to some fault in the O.G. 



However, when the limb was brought into the centre of the field, no 

 change occurred, though the remsiinder of the sun's edge was per- 

 fectly sharp, whether seen at the edge or centre of the field. The 

 face was abnormally mottled, and free from spots. Sky very clear. 

 A friend informs me to-day that he observed the same thing with 

 his 8i-inch Calver. " W. Owen Prosseb, F.C.S. 



STAYS AND HEALTH. 

 [840] — Pr.ay do not consider me too late in offering some of my 

 personal experience. Australia is very far for joining in discussions 

 carried on in England ; but this subject ia of such moment to the 



