Astronomy. 425 



having seen the Chelydra alive in the swamps here, under the shade of 

 trees analogous to those which cover the ancient soil of Oeningen, (so 

 celebrated for its profusion of terrestrial and freshwater fossil remains,) 

 I cannot help thinking that the climate could not have been tropical in 

 Europe at the time when the strata of Oeningen were deposited. 

 Again, I may observe that there is the closest affinity between the Flora 

 of the Atlantic shores of North America and that of Japan ; where 

 we have the Megalobatrachus, the corresponding living type of the An- 

 drias, or great fossil salamander of Oeningen. As I am unable to 

 write a paper now, I would thank you to make these remarks known 

 before I can publish them in extenso" 



IV. Astronomy. 



1. The New Planet Iris. — The discovery by Mr. J. R. Hind of Lon- 

 don, of another planet between Mars and Jupiter, is thus announced in 

 his letter to The Times, published Aug. 18, 1847. 



" Sir — In addition to the Berlin Maps, which we have revised, and 

 in some instances corrected, Ecliptical charts of stars down to the tenth 

 magnitude, have been formed for some of the hours of Right Ascen- 

 sion, which it is Mr. Bishop's intention to publish as soon as they are 

 completed. On the 13th of August, I compared Wolfers's Map [Hora 

 xix] with the heavens, and was surprised to find an unmarked star of 

 8*9 magnitude in a position which was examined June 22 and July 31, 

 without any note being made. The mere existence of a star in a po- 

 sition where before there was none visible, would not have been suffi- 

 cient to satisfy me as to its nature; because during an eight months' 

 search I have met with very many variable stars, — a class which I be- 

 lieve to be far more numerous than is generally supposed. But on em- 

 ploying the wire micrometer we were enabled in less than half an hour 

 to establish its motion, and thus to convince ourselves that I had been 

 fortunate enough to discover a new member of the planetary system. 

 It may appear to many of your readers rather bold to announce the ex- 

 istence of a new planet, from the detection of so small an amount of 

 motion as 2*-5 in R.A. ; but such is the firm mounting of the large re- 

 fracting telescope, and the perfection of the micrometers, (for which 

 we have to thank Mr. Dollond,) that a far smaller change would have 

 been sufficient to convince us as to the nature of the object in question. 

 Mr. Bishop has fixed upon Iris as an appropriate name for the new 

 planet; and we hope that astronomers generally will join with us in its 

 adoption. The following are all the observations we have yet made. 



Gr. m. t. R.A. of Iris. S. decl. 



1847. Aug. 13, 9 39 4*6 19 57 30-38 WW21* 



8 13 10 37 24 19 57 2841 3 27 27 6 



14 9 23 58 19 56 38 30 13 29 140 



15 9 39 19 55 47-64 13 31 43 



Mr. Bishops Observatory Regents Park, Aug. 1 J . 



Mr. Hind subsequently communicated to the Times ^^JW^ 

 mation to the elements of this planet, from an observaton^ f^fj^ 

 by Prof. Challis, and two taken by himself, Aug. 13 and 26, neglecting 

 parallax and aberration. 



Sjecoup Series, Vol. IV, No. 12—Nov., 1847. 54 



