454 



NA TURE 



[March 8, 1900 



Elements for 1900 March 5, Berlin Mean Time 



Ceraski's Second Algol Variable. — In the Harvard 

 College Observatory Circular, No. 47, Prof. E. C. Pickering 

 furnishes the additional data respecting this variable which are 

 available from the photometric records of the Henry Draper 

 Memorial. The Moscow photographs furnish the means of 

 determining the period from an interval of four years ; the 

 Harvard records increase this interval to 7iine years. With the 

 aid of the latter it is found that the formula of Prof. Ceraski 

 only satisfies the later observations, and to remedy this the 

 period he gives should be shortened by o"6m. ; the resulting 

 {leriod of 6d. oh. 8"8m. satisfying all the observations since I 

 1890 very accurately, but more observations of the minima will 

 give a still closer value. The period, however, differs so 

 slightly from exactly six days that for a long time the minima 

 cannot be observed in certain longitudes. Accordingly, while 

 observations may be obtained in the ensuing autumn in Europe, 

 or better still in Asia, minima cannot be observed in America 

 until the following year. 



Five stars of the Algol class, viz. S Cancri, U Cephei, W 

 Delphini, +45° "3062 and the star here under discussion are 

 especially interesting owing to the large variation in their light, 

 which amounts to about two magnitudes in each case. It is 

 noteworthy that of these two were found by Mdme. Ceraski, 

 and one by her distinguished husband. 



The New Odessa Observatory. — Herr A. Orbinski, who 

 has been appointed director of the new astronomical observatory 

 at Odessa, has recently issued his first report, dealing with the 

 foundation of the institution, its instrumental equipment, and 

 the scope of the proposed programme of investigation. 



The observatory has been established as a branch to the great 

 national institution by the governing body of the Pulkova 

 Observatory, chiefly owing to the efforts of Prof. O. Backlund 

 during 1895 ^^^ afterwards. 



In the summer of 1897 the building operations were com- 

 menced, and in August of the following year, 1898, the transit 

 instrument was installed, the vertical circle being set in position 

 during February 1899. The 'buildings are three in number — a 

 transit house, and two buildings for housing the meridian marks, 

 or collimators. The instrumental equipment consists of a transit 

 circle, with clock, chronograph and meridian marks, and a 

 vertical circle. 



The transit has an objective of 108 mm. aperture and i"30 m. 

 focal length, by Steinheil, and is furnished with a self-registering 

 micrometer, by Repsold. The meridian marks are situated 

 about 119 metres north and south of the transit pier, and con- 

 sist of round plates, each pierced with a small hole i '5 mm. in 

 diameter, which being illuminated from behind by an electric 

 lamp, forms an artificial star of abouP2-i magnitude. 



The vertical circle, by Repsold, has a Steinheil objective of 

 108 mm. aperture and 1*40 m. focal length. Both these instru- 

 ments are mounted in the same transit house, which is so 

 constructed that, the central portion remaining stationary, the 

 ends may be traversed eastwards and westwards i^spectively, 

 thus uncovering the instruments. 



The programme of the observatory is to be somewhat similar 

 to that at Pulkova, except that observations of stars are to be 

 made alternately with each instrument night by night, and not 

 with both together, the first list of 176 stars being included in 

 the report. 



NO. 1584, VOL. 61] 



HARTLEY BOTANICAL LABORATORIES OF 

 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LIVERPOOL. 



A FTER occupying for twelve years small and, in nnany 

 -^*- respects, unsuitable rooms in the old College buildings, 

 the botanical department of University College, Liverpool, is 

 at length to be housed in a new and commodious institute, the 

 munificent gift of Mr. W. P. Hartley, of Aintree, Liverpool. 



The site of the new buildings, also purchased by Mr. Hartley 

 for the College, is a very fine one. The buildings have an east 

 frontage of 37 feet and a north frontage of 85 feet. The total 

 height to the eaves is 54 feet, divided into three principal stories, 

 with two mezzanines in addition to a basement. 



The main entrance leads through a vestibule, 8 feet wide, into 

 a hall, 23 feet by 20 feet, in which is placed the staircase, 6 feet 

 wide, open by means of a well to the lantern light at the top of 

 the building. 



The basement floor is occupied by store-rooms, lavatories 

 and heating chamber. 



The ground floor is mainly occupied by the museum, 45 feet 

 long by 34 feet broad. This is surrounded at a height of 10 feet 

 6 inches by a balcony with open ironwork balustrade, which can 

 be entered from the mezzanine floor or by an iron spiral stair- 

 case from the ground floor of the museum. The museum will 

 throughout be fitted with cases made of American canary wood 

 with movable glass shelves. It is intended that these cases shall 

 contain not only morphological specimens illustrative of the 

 scientific aspect of botany, but also specimens of all products 

 of the vegetable kingdom used in the arts, such as timbers, 

 pharmaceutical products, cottons, hemp, flax, and food products, 

 both in the raw and in the manufactured state. It is hoped that 

 by this means the new botanical laboratories will become a 

 centre of information for the general public on matters of 

 economic botany as well as on the more strictly scientific aspects 

 of the science. 



The museum will be provided with a lift running to all the 

 floors above, so enabling specimens to be expeditiously and con- 

 veniently made available for teaching purposes in the laboratories 

 and class-rooms. 



On the ground floor also there is a workshop fitted with 

 lathe, carpenter's bench and tools, so that small repairs may be 

 carried out and simple machinery constructed without necessi- 

 tating the calling in of special workmen. 



There is also, in connection with the museum, a preparation 

 room, in which stock museum jars and boxes will be kept, and 

 in which the various specimens to be exhibited in the museum 

 will be mounted, prepared and labelled. 



The first mezzanine floor is partly occupied, as already 

 mentioned, by the museum balcony ; but there is also on this 

 floor a small class-room fitted for about twenty students, 

 furnished with the necessary fittings for the teaching of advanced 

 lecture classes ; and the herbarium fitted throughout with dust- 

 tight cases and boxes for dried plants. Room is also provided 

 on this floor for a staff' lavatory. 



On the first floor is placed the large lecture theatre. This 

 room, which is 45 feet long by 34 feet broad, will accommodate 

 100 students. The seats are raised at the back by a gradually 

 increasing upward curve, and the room is fitted with a specially 

 designed lecture table, carrying electric switches, gas, water, and 

 other needful appliances for public lectures. Opening off the 

 theatre is the professor's private room, with an adjacent private 

 laboratory, both of which will be furnished and equipped with the 

 requisite bookcases, apparatus cases, and laboratory appliances. 

 On this floor also is situated the departmental library, whose 

 shelves will be furnished with not only the best known botanical 

 text-books for reference, but also with several of the more 

 important botanical journals. 



The second mezzanine floor carries the research laboratory, 

 the experimental physiology laboratory, and the dark roorii. 

 These rooms, perhaps the most important in the building, will, 

 be fitted with all the more essential appliances for anatomical 

 and physiological research, whilst the dark room will be avail- 

 able both for microphotographic work and for such physiological 

 experiments as can be conducted only in the absence of light. 



On the second or top floor is placed the large and magnifi- 

 cently lighted junior laboratory, capable of accommodating- 

 sixty-five students at one time, and fitted with specially con- 

 structed benches, cases for microscopes and apparatus, and the 

 necessary teaching appliances. There will also be placed on 

 this floor a fully equipped senior laboratory, capable of accom- 



