December 14, 1893] 



NA TURE 



163 



1S93, shows no trace of it upon the plate exposed to that region, 

 while charts of the same region taivcn on June 6, June lo, 

 July 21, 1889; May 16, May 16, June 10, June 23, June 23, 

 1S91 ; May 7, and Mav 27, 1893, also give no indication of a 

 star in that position. The similarity of the spectra of these two 

 new stars is of interest, as Prof. Pickering points out, in that it 

 has proved a means of discovering one of these objects, and 

 that, if confirmed by other new stars, it will indicate that they 

 lielong lo a "distinct class resembling each other in composition 

 and physical condition." The nearest catalogue stars to which 

 the Nova lies are Cord.G. C. 20,940 and Cord.G.C. 20,926 of the 

 8 and 875 magni'.ude respectively, the Nova being nearly mid- 

 way between them. We may add that the above communica- 

 tion seems to throw some doubt on the accuracy of the note we 

 wrote three weeks ago (November 23), with leference to Prof. 

 Kapteyn's search through his Durchmusterung. Until the exact 

 ]iosilion of Nova Normce is obtained, one cannot of course make 

 any statement, but it seems probable that Prof. Kapteyn's and 

 Mrs. Fleming's stars are not the same. 



Prof. Rudolf Wolf, of Zlirich. — We are very sorry to 

 have to record this week the death c f Prof. Rudolf Wolf, the 

 well-known director of the Zurich Observatory. He died at 

 midday on November 6, after a short illness, at the age of 

 seventy-eight years. By his death astronomical science has lost 

 one of her most devoted servants. It was through his work, coupled 

 with that of Schwabe, that the existence of the periodicity of 

 the sunspots was without doubt first accepted, and its length 

 determined to be eleven and one-ninth years. The deceased was, 

 among other things, the author of the work on the " Geschichte 

 (ler Aatronomie," and also of a " Tachen-buch Kir Malhematik, 

 Physik, Geodiisie und Astronomie," both of which ran through 

 several editions. 



The Companion' to the Observatory. — The Companion for 

 •he) ear 1894 follows the same lines as it has done in former years. 

 No additional matter has here been added, unless we mention the 

 ephemeris for the elongations of the satellites of Mars, which 

 planet comes into opposition during next year. We notice that 

 in Mr. Denning's list of meteor showers, instead of November 27, 

 he has this year thought fit to alter it to November 23-27, an 

 alteration justifiable by facts. With regard to eclipses, on March 

 20-21 a partial eclipse of the moon will take place, but will be 

 invisible at Greenwich. An annular eclipse of the sun, just 

 visible as a partial one in Norway, S^veden, Eastern Europe, 

 and Asia, occurs on April 5, while on September 14 a partial 

 eclipse of the moon will be partly visible at Greenwich. The 

 total eclipse of the sun, on September 28, lasts only for eleven 

 seconds (maximum duration), and as the path of the centre of 

 the shadow lies entirely across the Southern Indian Ocean, the 

 occurrence is of little scientific interest. On November 10 a 

 transit of Mercury across the sun's disc will be partly visible at 

 (Greenwich, the first contact taking place before sunset. Thp 

 times are — 



Ingress. Egress. 



h. ni. s. h. m. s. 



Externa! contact ... 3 55 40 9^3 9 

 Internal ,, ... 3 57 23 9 n 26 



Yox the sun in the zenith at the time of egress, the place of ob- 

 servation lies 63" W. and 17' S. or in Bolivia, South 

 America, that for egress lying 142° W. and 17° S. 



Solar Observations at Rome. — In the September number 

 of the Mcniorie della Socitta degli Spettroscopisti lialiaiii, Prof. 

 Tacchini csntributes the results of the solar observations made 

 at the Royal Observatory during the second and third trimestre 

 of 1S93. The same number also contains two large diagrams of 

 the limb of the sun, the first showing the observations made a". 

 Catania', Palermo, and Rome, during the second three mouths of 

 the year 1892, and the second indicating observations made at 

 the last-mentioned place during June and Julj'. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



Mr. R. D. Oldham, Superintendent of the Geological Sur- 

 vey of India, read a paper at the last meeting of the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society, on the evolution of the geography of India. 

 He pointed out that the three main divisions of India were 

 natuial regions the individuality of which ha I been marked 

 throughout a long range of geological tin.e. The peninsula 



NO. 1259. VOL. 49] 



consists of very ancient land which has not been submerged 

 since the early Palceozoic period, while the continei tal division 

 has been frequently under water until Tertiary times, and the 

 great plain is relatively recent alluvium. There is evidence 

 Irom the close resemblance of fossil forms of a continuous land 

 connection between India and Africa in the Cretaceous period. 

 This former continent has been named Gondwana Land, and 

 must not be confused with the hypothetical continent of Le- 

 muria. It had disappeared by the end of the secondary pt-rioJ. 

 At the close of the Cretaceous period there was an unparalleled 

 outburst of volcanic activity contemporary with a series of great 

 earth-movements which went far to give its present outline to 

 peninsular India, and led to the first appearance of the extra- 

 peninsular mountains. This activity continued during the 

 Tcitiary period. The depression at the base of the Himalaya, 

 now filled up by alluvium, was simultaneously formed. The 

 Indus was the original outlet of drainage from the Himalayan 

 district, the river system splitting up later, and the diversion of 

 the Jumna to the Ganges may even have occurred in hist >rical 

 times. The latter part of the paper gave an able summary of 

 Indian types of scenery. 



The crossing of the eastern horn of Africa is fast becoming 

 one of the commor places of travel, having been again accom- 

 plished this year by Prince E. Ruspoli, who, starting from Ber- 

 bera in December last year, reached the Jub in March. Tlie 

 last number of the Bulletin of the Italian Geographical S 'ciely 

 contains a letter giving an account of the journey and a sktr-tch- 

 map showing his route. Another Italian expedition, under 

 Captains Bottego and Grixoni, made the journey by a somewhat 

 different route about the same time. 



The VerhandluMgen of the Berlin Geographical Society 

 states that the Swedish traveller in Persia, Mr. Sven Hedin, 

 has undertaken a serious attempt to reach Lhasa in the disg lise 

 of a Persian merchant. He willstart from Leh,and follow the 

 route of the Pundit Nain Singh to Tengri-Nor. 



The death is reported of Dr. D. Scott Moncricfif, of Harvard 

 University, who had been making a journey of e<ploration, 

 mainly with a view to ethnological observations, in Eastern 

 Siberia. He left a Gilyak village near the mouth of the Amur 

 for a sail in an open boat, on August II, and nothing further 

 was heard of him until a fortnight later his body was found on 

 the coast of Sakhalin. 



M. E. PoNCiNS, a French traveller, writes from Gilgit to the 

 Paris Geographical Society under date August 26, that he has 

 crossed the Pamirs, from north to south, and paid special atten- 

 tion to the source-region of the Oxus. Pie proposed to proceed 

 to Simla, and there complete a full account of iiis journey. 



The source region of the Irawadi is still one of the most un- 

 known parts of Asia, and it is satisfactory to learn that Captain 

 Bower, whose recent journey in Tibet is well known, intends 

 making explorations in that region during the present cold 

 season. 



The meeting of the Paris Geographical Society on November 

 17 was devoted to the memory of the navigator Entrecasteau*, 

 whose somewhat unfortunate voyage of discovery round the 

 coast of Australia and amo.igst the islands of the Western 

 Pacific was interrupted by his death in 1793. 



UNVEILING OF THE JOULE MEMORIAL 

 STATUE. 



MANCHESTER claims the distinction of having been 

 the home of two or our greatest men of science — D.Uton 

 and Joule — and it has shown itself worthy of the honour. 

 A beautiful statue of Dalton has adorned the vestibule of the 

 Town Hall for some years, and on Friday last, one of Joule, by 

 Mr. A. Gilbert, was unveilel in the same place, the two 

 philosophers standing face to face. 



It was in 1889 that the Manchester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society proposed to raise a memorial to Joule, and, to the credit of 

 Manchester be it said, the suggestion was taken up with enthu- 

 siasm. On November 25 of that year, a meeting was convened by 

 the Mayor of Manchester at that time (Mr. Alderman Mark), 

 and was attended by a large and inflaential company. The 



