November 23, 1899] 



NATURE 



81 



supported by Dr. W. B. Carpenter and Prof. T. Rupert 

 Jones. It is needless here to refer more particularly to 

 the controversy that took place regarding this supposed 

 organism ; suffice it to say that for many years the fossil 

 was figured as an organism in most text-books, and was 

 I onsidered to be the oldest evidence of life on the earth. 

 If we turn to Prof. Lapworth's " Intermediate Text-book 

 of Geology, 1899,'' p. 182, we still find a figure of 

 • Eozoon" ; but the author remarks : " the organic nature 

 ol Eozoon is discredited by most geologists, and the pre- 

 ponderance of scientific opinion has long been in favour 

 of regarding it as a peculiar mineral structure, imitative 

 of the organic." Dawson himself, however, in the 

 Geological Magazine for 1895, still boldly upheld the 

 animal nature of Eozoon. 



In 1881 the Council of the Geological Society awarded 

 to Dr. Dawson the Lyell Medal, the President (Mr. 

 Etheridge) remarking on the value of his researches on 

 the fossil flora of the Carboniferous and older rocks of 

 Canada. In 1884 Dr. Dawson published a series of 

 articles, and afterwards a small volume, on the geology 

 of Egypt and Syria, but for the most part his original 

 contributions relate to Canadian geology. 



In addition to his Acadian Geology, he was author of 

 several other more or less popular volumes, including 

 " Archaia ; or Studies of the Cosmogony and Natural 

 History of the Hebrew Scriptures" (i860) ; " The Story 

 of the Earth and Man " (1873, and many later editions) ; 

 "The Dawn of Life" (1875); "Fossil Men and their 

 modern Representatives" (1880) ; " Geological History of 

 Plants" (1888) ; " Relics of Primeval Life" (1897). 



Dr. Dawson was appointed C.M.G. in 1881, and he 

 was knighted in 1884 on the first occasion when the 

 British Association paid a visit to Canada. He was 

 elected President of the Association for the Birmingham 

 meeting in 1886. 



He died November 19, in his eightieth year. His son. 

 Dr. G. M. Dawson, C.M.G., F.R.S., is the distinguished 

 and energetic Director of the Geological Survey of 

 Canada. H. B. W. 



THE LEONIDS. 

 T^HE following communications have reached us with 

 -*- reference to the Leonid meteors observed last 

 week : — 



Mr. Denning's Report. 

 It may be safely said that no meteoric display was 

 ever so generally looked for and awaited with so much 

 interest as the one which has just occurred. That 

 the character of it should have proved disappointing is 

 to be regretted, and especially so after the previous 

 failures in 1897 and 1898. The astronomical world had 

 been eagerly anticipating the event for many months, 

 and the curiosity of the general public had been excited 

 by articles in the newspapers pointing out, perhaps too 

 confidently, that the meteors would appear in such 

 amazing numbers that the event would form one of the 

 most striking spectacles of a lifetime. Every one there- 

 fore sat up to see the shooting stars, but all more or less 

 failed to realise the expectations they had formed. Some 

 people saw nothing, for clouds or fog hid the moon, 

 stars and meteors on the nights of November 14 and 

 15. Others had a clearer sky and a dazzling moon, but 

 the grand display of meteors was entirely wanting. The 

 constellation of Leo cculd be distinctly seen as it rose 

 higher in the east, but meteoric stars only shot at inter- 

 vals from the familiar " sickle." We had expected that 

 the whole firmament would be furrowed with these 

 "Leonids," as it was in 1799, 1833 and 1866; but 

 instead of a heavy bombardment, there was only weak, 

 desultory firing, and when, in the grey dawn of November 

 16 observers discontinued their vigils, it was with a feel- 

 NO. 1569, VOL. 61] 



ing of regret ; moderated, however, by the knowledge 

 that better success might attend similar efforts in 1900 

 and 1901. ^ 



A large number of reports have been received from 

 observers in different parts of the country. Observations 

 were commenced on November 6 by Prof. A. S. Herschel, 

 at Slough, and in three hours he counted twenty-eight 

 meteors after I4h. on that night, but there was no sign 

 of the Leonids. On November 8 he watched for two 

 hours after I3h. 45m., and saw seventeen meteors, but 

 still no indication of radiation from Leo. On the same 

 night Mr. Besley, at Clapham, watched between loh. 55m. 

 and I3h. lom., and counted twenty-two meteors, including 

 seven Taurids and possibly two Leonids. 



On November 10 further observations were secured by 

 Prof. Herschel and Mr. Besley, as well as by Mr. 

 T. H. Astbury, at Wallingford, and by the writer at 

 Bristol. An aggregate of seventy-two meteors was seen, 

 including perhaps two Leonids ; but it is often very 

 difficult to identify true Leonids from the same swift, 

 streak-leaving meteors directed from other radiants in 

 the neighbouring region of sky. 



On November 11, in two hours between I4h. 30m. and 

 i6h. 3orn., the writer at Bristol noted ten meteors^ 

 including two certain Leonids. One of these at I4h. 

 52m. was a well-observed foreshortened path from 

 158°+ 15° to 160°+ 12'', and would, in combination with 

 the other Leonid, indicate the radiant at 152^-1-23". If 

 this position is correct the radiant would appear to be a 

 stationary one like that of the October Orionids. 



On November 12 the sky was much clouded, but on 

 November 13, between I7h. 8m. and I7h. 50m., Mr. J. 

 E. Clark, at South Croydon, saw nine meteors (seven 

 Leonids). At Bristol the S.W. sky was partly clear from 

 I7h. 15m. to i8h., and five meteors (one Leonid) were 

 counted. At Marlborough between i7h. 20m. and i8h. 

 30m. twenty-one meteors (eighteen Leonids) were seen 

 by Mr. H. Savory. At Cambridge between i7h. and 

 i8h. 25m. twenty-three meteors were counted by Mr. 

 Hinks. 



On November 14, Mr. T. H. Astbury, at Wallingford, 

 registered twenty-f^ve Leonids, and saw about a dozen 

 more between i6h. 3m. and I7h. 53m. Sir W. J. 

 Herschel, at Littlemore, Oxford, saw ninety-eight meteors 

 (sixty-six Leonids) during the night. At Yeovil the sky 

 was generally cloudy, but between I7h. and i8h. 30m. six 

 meteors were seen crossing breaks in the clouds. Both 

 at Littlemore and Yeovil a very fine non-Leonid was seen 

 at I7h. 40m. At Worthing, Sussex, between i5h. and 

 i8h. more than 200 Leonids were counted by Mr. A. R. 

 Schulz. At Cambridge four observers watching from 

 I2h. 5m. to i6h. 35m. observed forty-five meteors. At 

 Brighton between I4h. 30m. and i8h. twenty-eight 

 meteors (twenty-four Leonids) were noted by Dr. R. J. 

 Ryle. 



On November 15, 16 and 17, further observations were 

 made, but meteors fell in very moderate numbers. They 

 appear, in fact, to have been no more numerous than on 

 mid-November nights in ordinary years when the comet 

 is not far from aphelion. 



Reports from foreign stations may possibly modify our 

 present views and show that a fairly bright shower was 

 observed elsewhere and during the daytime in England. 

 But from a few descriptions already to hand from 

 America and various parts of Europe it appears that the 

 meagreness of the display formed a common experience 

 even among observers situated in widely different 

 longitudes. 



There is every reason to suppose that though the 

 shower has managed to elude us this year it must con- 

 front us next year, and possibly in 1901. It will be 

 remembered that there were rich displays in 1866, 1867 

 and 1868. The one in 1866 occurred ten months after 

 the parent comet of Tempel had passed through its 



