July 12, 1894J 



NA TURE 



255 



■be related to the duration of life of an Apis, since many dif- 

 ferent periods are recorded for that. But by reducing the dates 

 of the enthronement of Apis as given by Brugsch and Lepsius in 

 the ligyplian reckoning to the Julian chronology on the basis 

 of the fixed Sirius year, the significant fact was discovered that 

 such enthronement always took place on the day of the full 

 moon. Since Apis is known to be the visible representation of 

 Osiris, and the latter is identified with the full moon, it is 

 ■reasonable to suppose that the Apis-period of 9125 = 25 x 365 

 days was purely astronomical, and that the name was derived 

 from its connection with the full moon and Osiris. 



Observations oi' the Planet Mars. — A telegram trans- 

 mitted by Prof. Pickering to Prof. Krueger, and printed in 

 Astr. Nacli. No. 3241, reads as follows : — " Ilolden tele- 

 graphs : Bright projection of Mars terminator like that previously 

 observed at Lick Observatory and seen several mornings, best 

 seen June 28 near Polar Cap, Ganges seen double." 



THE JACKSON-HARMSWORTH POLAR 

 EXPEDITION. 



'T'HE private Polar Expedition led by Mr. F. G. Jackson, 

 and financed by Mr. A. C. Ilarmsworth, sails from the 

 Thames to-day, July 12, on board the steam-whaler Wiytdward, 

 for Franz Josef Land, calling 01 route at Archangel. 



Many ol the equipments of the expedition were exhibited to 

 a select party at an *' at home " given by Mr. and Mrs. Harms- 

 worth at the Grafton Galleries on Friday evening, and on 

 Monday last a number of visitors were shown over the ship in 

 the Shadwell Basin, when the special arrangements for the 

 expedition were more fully explained. 



The s'aff which has been finally selected by Mr. Jackson to 

 accompany him on his projected land journey in the far north 

 includes the following : — l^Ir. Albert Armitage, second in com- 

 mand, a young officer of the P. and O. Company's service, who 

 is a practical navigator and trained in astronomical and mag- 

 netic observations ; Dr. Kettlit-, medical ofiicer ; Captain 

 Schlosshauer, a merchant skipper ; Mr. Fisher, curator of the 

 Nottingham Museum, as scientific collector ; Mr. Burgess, who 

 has had some previous Arctic experience, and will act as cook ; 

 Mr. Childs, who undertakes mineralogical work and photo- 

 graphy; and Mr. Dunsford, who, like Mr. Jaikson and Mr. 

 Armitage, has a knowledge of surveying. Some friends of the 

 explorers sail with the party, intending to return from 

 Archangel. 



Several previous expeditions have acquired some knowledge 

 of the natural conditions of Franz Josef Land, and it is con- 

 •fidently expected that game, in the shape o( bears, seals, and 

 birds, will be abundant. Accordingly a complete outfit of 

 sporting guns, rifles, harpoons, &c., is being taken. The 

 expedition is, however, fully provisioned for four years with the 

 most highly condensed and thoroughly preserved foods obtain- 

 able. Much reliance is placed on the fresh bear and seal meat, 

 expected to be shot, for the prevention of scurvy, but Mr. Jack- 

 son also proposes to use port wine as a specific. The use of 

 alcohol and tobacco, which has recently been entirely discarded 

 in Arctic work, is one of the peculiar and probahly not un- 

 popular features of the present attempt on the Pole. 



The arrangements for travelling include boats for crossing 

 open water. One of aluminium, measuring 18 feet by 5 feet, 

 weighs only 150 lbs., and can carry twenty people ; it is made 

 in three sections for convenience of transport on sledges, and 

 each section will lloat by iiself. .\ similar copper boat, weigh- 

 ing about 200 lbs., is also carried, and three light wooden 

 Norwegian boats. A fa-t steam-launch, appropriately named 

 the Alarkham, is expected to be of service if it is found possible 

 to proceed from the base for some distance by sea, or up 

 Austria Sound. 



Eighteen sledges of exceplionally light and strong construc- 

 tion, each calculated to carry 1000 lb-, weight if necessary, are 

 taken ; these are to be drawn by .Siberian dogs or ponies. 

 There are three collapsible tents, and suits of Samoyed clothing 

 for use in winter, the cumbrous-looking garb of these 

 Siberian nomads being considered better adapted for rough 

 work in bad weather than the tighter-fitting costume of the 

 Eskimo pattern. The scientific instruments carried are perhaps 

 the finest that have ever been taken into the far north, the ex- 

 tensive use of aluminium ensuring a lightness and strength 

 never before attained in Arctic exploration. 



NO. 1289. VOL. 50] 



After landing the exploring party in Franz Josef Land about 

 the end of August, the H'indivard will return to England, if 

 possible, and sail again next year with fresh supplies. 



The whole cost of the expedition is estimated at ^'25,000. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PARIS 

 OBSERVATORY. 



C~\Vi the 3rd of March of this year, M. Tisserand presented his 

 report to the Council of the Observatory regarding the 

 state of the Observatory during the past year. In his pre- 

 liminary remarks he refers briefly to the work in course of 

 execution. Under the direction of Le Verrier, great attention 

 was concentrated on the meridian service, which comprises 

 observations of the sun, moon, planets, asteroids, and the 

 revision of the catalogue of Lalande. Extra-meridian observa- 

 tions of comets and small planets have been made wiih the 

 equatorial in the west tower, and M. Wolf has been occupied in 

 astro-physic researches. An important work in hand is that of 

 publishing a catalogue of the Observatory, based on all the 

 values of the meridian observations made from 1837-1S81, 

 while special reseaiches on the K.A. of fundamental stars have 

 been undertaken, and on the declinations, after methods pro- 

 posed by iL Lcewy. The equatorial service has been enlarged 

 by the addition of another coude, which instrument is devoted 

 to the observation of planets, comets, systematic measures of 

 double stars and nebulae, and will be occupied in future with 

 the study of the most interesting variable stars. 



With regaid to the work in hand, >L Tisserand says that 

 there is enough "assure pour plusiers annees. " In remarking 

 on the great preponderance of meridian work, he refers to its 

 considerable importance in astronomy, furnishing as it does the 

 constants for calculating the positions of planets and stars. 

 Photography, he says, gives the means of determining exactly 

 the positions of small stars on a cliche with relation to a certain 

 number — say a dozen — of reference stais ; but the positions of 

 these last-mentioned ought to be measured by meridian 

 instruments. 



The movement relative to the lengthening of the railroad has 

 been making great headway, and already the means of protec- 

 tion suggested by the Council have been commenced, notably 

 that of the niur d' isolement constructed near the tunnel. 



Let us take a rapid survey uf the work done with each of the 

 separate instruments as reported by the head of each depart- 

 ment. 



Large Meridian Circle, — Besides general transits observed, 

 it was attempted to correct the catalogue of polar distances of 

 fundamental stars, in continuing zenith distance measures of 

 stars with the adopted latitude. A series of sixty star.s, six 

 times observed, showed that the corrections agreed very satisfac- 

 torily among themselves, and harmonised well with those 

 furnished by the normal catalogue of M. Auwers. 



Simultaneous observations have also been made to correct 

 the ephemeridesof the Coitnaissance des 7tv«/i and the latitude, 

 while active researches have been started lor finding out the 

 causes of the inequalities. With reference to the " flexion 

 horizontale," the instrument has remained firm, the mean value 

 given by the collimators being -o"'68, those for the three pre- 

 ceding years being -o"'54, -o"73, and -o"'66. 



Meridian Instrument, Gaml>ey. — The work started in May 

 1890, of correcting catalogue R. A.'s of fundamental stars, has 

 been continued, and the corrections found are " faibles et bien 

 concordantes," as shown from the following few values : — 



ifcgo. 



Circle of Gambey. — Employed exclusively for researches on 

 the variation of latitude; 127 nadir distances of polaris were 

 measured, of which 101 were direct, and 26 by reflection. 



Cercle Meridien dii Jardin. — During the earlier months this 

 instrument was used for the determination of polar distances of 

 fundamental stars and for latitude, by methods of M. Lcewy. 

 A minute determination of the inclination of the horizontal 

 thread of the instrument was also made, and also the influence 

 of personal equations in the cases of stars near the pole, M. 



