Astronomy. — Miscellaneous Intelligence. 293 



I 



IV. AsTRONo^iy. 



m 



- , On the 19th May, 1851, 



Mr. J. R. Hind of London, discovered a new planel resemblinf^ a star 

 of the 9th nriagnitude. Its place May 19, 12^ 52« 36^ m. t. Gr., was 

 in R. A. 161^ 4-' ]0^'4l and South dech 13^ 23' 34''-9. ^ 



The following elements of its orbit are by Mr. James Ferguson of 

 U, S. National Observatory. 



Mean Longitude, June 10.0, 1851, m. t. Gr. 41° 57' 9''*5 



Longitude of node, - - - 87 47 46'''2 



" perihelion, - - 191 8 27 -5 



Inclination, . J - - 8 37 35 '7 



Angle of excentriclty, - - 8 40 50 '5 



Semi-axis major, . - - 0-4069322 



Mean daily motion, - - - 870''-18 



This is the fourth planet discovered by Mr. Hind, and the fourteenth 

 of the group between Mars and Jupiter. 



" Sir John Herschel, who was requested by Mr. Hind to give a name 



to the planet, has proposed the name Irene. (£''?^*'»?) in allusion to the 



peaceful sentiments which should be fostered by the iJ-reat industrial 



toition now holding in London, where the planet was discovered.'* 



The planet Irene was also discovered independently, by M. Gasparis, 

 on the 24th of May, 1851. 



V, Miscellaneous Intelligea^ce. 



1. Smithsonian Institution. — The folio wins observations on the 

 registry of Periodical Phenomena, have been issued in a circular by 

 the Smithsonian Institution : and may prove useful to many of our read- 



ers^as well as to the cause of science. 



The Smithsonian Institution, 



being desirous of obtaining information with regard to the periodical 

 phenomena of Animal and Vegetable life in North America, respect- 

 fully invites all persons who may have it in their power, to record their 

 observations, and to transmit them to the Institution. The points to 

 ^hich particular attention should be directed, are the first appearance 

 of leaves and of flowers in plants; the dates of appearance and disap- 

 pearance of migratory or hybernating animals, as Mammalia, Birds, 

 Reptiles, Fishes, Insects, &c. ; the times of nesting of Birds, of moult- 

 ^^g and littering of Mammalia, of utterance of" characteristic cries 

 among reptiles and insects, and any thing else which may be deemed 

 noteworthy. 



A lisi of plants is appended, to which particular reference should be 

 had in making observations. It has been prepared from materials fur- 

 nished by Dr. John Torrey and others, and will be found to contain 

 n^any species distributed throughout the United States, together with a 

 number indigenous to, or cultivated in Europe. For (he present, 

 attention may be paid alone to the time of flowering of these species, 

 tnis period in all cases being indicated by the first appearance of the 

 anther iu the expanding flower. 



