November 1, 1897.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



271 



steel rails for railways to the gilt buttons and gold laee 

 on the uniforms of our naval and military grandees. 



Chemical laboratories, of course, bear a close resem- 

 blance to each other, but there are several reasons why 

 the one at Clement's Inn Passage should be, to some 

 extent, familiar to all dwellers in these isles. (1) It is a 

 factor, however small or indirect, in our daily lives ; {'2) we 

 have to pay for it, and should therefore know what we are 

 to receive in return for the outlay ; (8) it is unique of its 

 kind, and includes in its construction all the best features 

 of other existing laboratories, totally ignoring all their 

 defects, for which happy result we are indebted to the wide 

 experience and unerring judgment of Dr. Thorpe, the 

 Principal Chemist. For instance, the laboratory has fully 

 developed respiratory organs, provision being made for the 

 proper circulation of fresh air ; and the fume closets are 

 all connected by internal passages in the walls with a sort 

 of large duct, through which a fan, worked by a silent 

 engine, draws the noxious vapours forv/ard, and delivers 

 them into the atmosphere outside the building. Its 

 arterial and venous systems are thoroughly differentiated 

 — the water polluted by operations in the laboratory 

 being delivered through separate channels to the drains, 

 while the aqueous liquid used as water-jackets for the 

 distillations is carried through separate channels, and 

 lifted by a force pump into cisterns above the building, to 

 be used over and over again, and the water so used is 

 kept cool by brine communicating with a refrigerating 

 apparatus. The internal walls, in keeping with chemical 

 operations, are enamelled, and there is a cool room for 

 preserving samples of alcoholic drinks, etc., in which as 

 you enter you feel a sort of pressure at every point of the 

 body — a grip all round — so intense is the cold, a condition 

 favourable for retaining fermented liquors in their original 

 condition ; while last, but not least, the laboratory is 

 illuminated by electricity. J. Mills. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR NOVEMBER. 



By Herbert Sadler, F.E.A.S. 



SOME well-marked groups of spots and faculs have 

 lately appeared on the solar surface. 

 Conveniently observable minima of Algol occur 

 at Uh. 47m. p.m. on the 15th, and at 6h. 40m. p.m. 

 on the 18th. 



Mercury is too near the Sun for observation in 

 November. 



Venus is a morning star, and is fairly well situated for 

 observation this month. On the 1st she rises at about 

 4h. 30m. A.M., with a southern declination at transit of 

 4" 24', and an apparent diameter of 11 5". On the 7th 

 she rises at 4h. 45m. a.m., with a southern dechnation 

 of 7° 15', and an apparent diameter of 11^". On the 12th 

 she rises at 5h. a.m., with a southern declination of 

 9° 33', and an apparent diameter of 11". On the 17th 

 she rises at 5h. 15m. a.m., with a southern declination of 

 11° 46', and an apparent diameter of 10|". On the 22nd 

 she rises at 5h. B2m. a.m., with a southern dechnation of 

 13'' 53', and an apparent diameter of lOf". On the 30th 

 she rises at about 6h. a.m., with a southern declination of 

 16° 56', and an apparent diameter of lOV'. During 

 November she describes a direct path through the eastern 

 portion of Virgo into Libra, being not far from a. librae 

 on the 24th. 



Mars is in conjunction with the Sun on the 2Ist. 



Jupiter is a morning star, rising on the Ist at 3h. 15m. 

 A.M., with a northern dechnation at noon of 0° 39', and 



an apparent equatorial diameter of 32i ". On the 7th he 

 rises at 2h. 57m. a.m., with a northern declination of 0° 13', 

 and an apparent equatorial diameter of 32|". On the 

 12th he rises at 2h. 43m. a.m., with a southern declina- 

 tion of 0° 8', and an apparent equatorial diameter of 32|". 

 On the 17th he rises at 2h. 28m. a.m., with a southern 

 declination of 0° 28', and an apparent equatorial diameter 

 of 32|". On the 23rd he rises at about 2h. a.m., with a 

 southern declination of 0° 51', and an apparent equatorial 

 diameter of 33". On the 30th Jupiter rises at about 

 lb. 45m. a.m., with a southern declination of 1° 15', and 

 an apparent equatorial diameter of 33^". He describes 

 a direct path in Virgo during the month. 



Saturn is in conjunction with the Sun on the 25th, and 

 Uranus is in the same position on the 21st. 



Neptune is an evening star, and is well situated for obser- 

 vation, rising on the 1st at 6h. 32m. p.m., with a northern 

 dechnation of 21° 50', and an apparent diameter of 2i". 

 On the 11th he rises at 5h. 53m. p.m., with a northern 

 dechnation of 21° 49'. On the 21st he rises at 5h. 13m. 

 a.m., with a northern declination of 21° 48'. On the 30th 

 he rises at 4h. 37m. p.m., with a northern declination of 

 21° 47'. During the month he describes a short retrograde 

 path in Taurus. 



November is a very favom-abie month for shooting stars. 

 The most marked display is that of the Leonids on 

 November 13th and l^th, the radiant point being in K.A. 

 lOh., and northern dechnation 23'. The radiant point 

 rises at about lOh. 15m. p.m. The Andromedes occur on 

 the 27th, the radiant point being in R.A. Ih. 40m., and 

 northern declination 43°. 



The Moon enters her first quarter at 2h. 37m. p.m. on 

 the 1st ; is full at 9h. 50m. a.m. on the 9th ; enters her 

 last quarter at 2h. 2m. p.m. on the 17th ; and is new at 

 9h. 20m. A.M. on the 24th. 



A maximum of the variable star Ceti will occur about 

 the 9th. 



By C. D. LooocK, B.A.Oxon. 



Communications for this column should be addressed to 

 C. D. LococK, Burwash, Sussex, and posted on or before 

 the 10th of each month. 



Solutions of October Problems. 



No. 1. 



(By J. K. Macmeikan.) 



1. Q to R8, and mates next move. 



No. 2. 



(By P. F. Blake.) 



1. R to K7, and mates next move. 



Correct Solutions of both problems received from 

 J. T. Blakemore, G. J. Newbegin, G. Coules, E. C. Wihis, 

 G. G. Beazley, W. Clugston, W. de P. Crousaz, Kappa, 

 J. McRobert, H. H. Thomas, Alpha, E. W. Brooke. 



Of No. 1 only, from M. Wiedhofft. 



Of No. 2 only, from Captain Forde. 



M. Wiedhoift.—U 1. B to B4ch, Q x R. 



Captain Forde. — In answer to 1. Q to R6, the King can 

 move. 



G. Coules. — Your solutions of September problems were 

 correct, but arrived too late to be acknowledged last 

 month. 



