October 17. 1918] 



NATURE 



i33 



Bright met< ors wen led al Bristol, 



and their path- noted as follows : — 



h. m\ mag. 



Sept. 30 7 43=- & 325 10 to 325*+ 4 slow 



30 7 46 1 34»4 + 3° 29+37 .. 



Oct. I 10 30 I 70 +37 72 +32 swift 



6 10 45 1 26-9 33 - 19 slow 



6 10 48 1 22 T42 22A+49 „ 



8 S 4= 1 2 ?»4 „ 



Duplicate observations of any of thi - vould 



be valuable in order to determine their teal paths in 

 the air. 



Observations of Long-period Variables. The 

 results of extensive observations of four long-p 

 variables which have been made al pohannesbui 

 summarised b) Mr. W. M. Worssell in Circular No. 42 

 oi thi I in, m Observatory. Formulae for maxima and 

 minima have been derived b\ including other avail- 

 able data, chieflj from observations at the Harvard 

 College and Cape observatories. The names of the 

 stars and formulae for dates of maximum are as 

 follows : — 



'^ R Horologii ozjojo. 



J.I). 24152 lays; M — in = 174 days. 



RS Centauri 111661 



J.I). 2415024+164-2 Edays-f 14-5 sii 

 days. 

 SV Scorpii 17413s 



J.D. 2415259 2584 E days; M—tn= 148 days. 

 RU Capricorni 202622 



J.D. 2415275 + 3464 E days. 



The numbers following the names of the stars give a 

 rough indication of position; lh< hours and minutes 

 of nghl ascension are indicated by the first two pairs 

 of figures and the degrees ol declination l>\ the lasl 

 pair. 



Correction 01 Appareni Sti li Mm. mm his. in 

 tin Journal of the British Astronomical Association 

 (vol. xxviii., p. 252) Mr. Felix de Roy directs atten- 

 tion to the importance of ecting estimates of 



stellar magnitude for atmospherii absorption. Tables 

 are available which indicate the mean loss of light 

 for an average star as a function of its zenith dis- 

 tance for a place of observation near sea-level. The 

 mean absorption is under 0115 mag. up to /.!> [8°, 

 reaches 01 at 47 , 02 at 58 , 1 | 



0-5 at 72°, and then increases ven quickly, reaching a 

 whole magnitude at 8o°, two magnitudes at 86°, and 

 three magnitudes at 88°. With the aid of such a table, 

 or a graph, it is easy to compute the appareni magni- 

 tude at a given time from the true (zenithal) magnitude 

 as given in a catalogue. It is pointed out that the 

 neglect of thi- correction may partly account for the 

 discrepancies between individual estimates of the 

 brightness of Nova Aquilae during ii- brightest stages, 

 a- comparisons were necessarih made with stars at 

 vei 1 different altitudes. 



TNTER-ALLIED CONFERENCE ON INTER- 

 \ [TIONAL SCIENTIFIC ORGANISATIONS. 



""pill following is a complete li-t of the delegates 

 ■*■ who attended the [nter-Allied Conference on 

 International Scientific Organis itions which was 



held at the Royal Society on October 



Hrilish Delegates: Sir Joseph Thomson, 



Sir Alfred Kempe, Prof. A. Schuster, Mr. 



Prof. \V. A. Herdman, Sir Frank 



Mr. J. H. han.. C,,l. II t ,. Lyons 



9-1 1 :— 



O.M., 



W B. 



I)\ son, 



Prof. 



t S Sherrington, Sir William Tilden, Sir Edward 

 Sharpe; Schafer, and Prof. J. A. McClelland 



NO. -2555. VOL. I02"| 



Foreign Delegates. r , ium VI. Lecointe, Prof. 

 Massart, and M. Poussin. France: 



M. B. Baillaud, M. G I in, M. A. Haller, 



M. Lacroix, M. C. Lallemand, M. Moureu, and 

 M. E. Picard. Italy: Prof. \. Volterra. Japan: 

 Prof. Joji Sakurai and \1, V Tanakadate. Serbia: 

 Prof. Bogdan Popovitch. / iitfi I states o] America: 

 Dr. II. A. Hum-iead, Col. J, J. Cartv, Dr. W. F. 

 I turand, I '1 . S. I- lexnei , Pn . and Dr. 



A. A. Noyes. Bra il : M . < .- ' alho. 



["he subjoined statemenl was adopted unanimously 

 i,, the Intel - Mil. -I t bnfei em e. It is i si rve 



as a preamble to .1 numbei ol n sol with 



the withdrawal of the Allied nations froi 

 international associations and the formation oi new 

 one- to take their place. The confinnatio 

 academies represented al the conference is req 

 bi Fori the text of the resolutions can be 

 public : — 



When more than four years ago the outbreak ol 

 divided Europe into hostile camps, men of science wen 

 still able to hope that the conclusion ol peace would 

 join at once the broken threads, and that the present 

 enemies might then once more be able- to meel in 

 friendly conference, uniting their 1 fforts to advance 

 the interests ol science. For ever since the revival of 

 learning in the Middle Ages the prosecution of know- 

 ledge has formed a bond strong enough to resist the 

 -train of national antagonism. And ibis bond was 

 strengthened during the latter part of last century, 

 when branches of science developed requiring for 

 their studv the co-operation of all the civilised nations 

 ol the world. International associations and confer- 

 ences rapidly multiplied, and the friendly intercourse 

 between the learned representatives of different coun- 

 tries grew more intimate, in spite of their political 

 differences, which wen admitted but nol insisted upon. 



In former times war frequently interrupted the co- 

 operation of individuals without destroying the mutual 

 esteem based on the recognition of intellectual achieve- 

 ments; peace then soon effaced the scars of a strife 

 that was ended. If to-day the representatives of the 

 scientific academies of the Allied nations are forced 

 to declare that the- will not be able to resume per- 

 sonal relations in scientific mailers with their enemies 

 until the Central Powers can be re-admitted into the 

 concert of civilised nation-, they do so <vith a full 

 sense of responsibility, and they feel bound to record 

 thi reasons which have led them to ibis decision. 



Civilisation has imposed restrictions on the conduct 

 of nations which are intended to serve the interests 

 of humanity and to maintain a high standard of 

 honour. Such are the recognition of the sanctity of 

 treaties — especiallv those designed to apply to a state 

 of war — and the' avoidance of unnecessary cruelties 

 inflicted on civilians In both these respects the Cen- 

 tral Powers have broken the ordinances of civilisa- 

 tion, disregarding all conventions, and unbridling the 

 worst passions which the ferocity of war engenders. 

 War is necessarih full of cruelties; individual acts of 

 barbarity cannot be avoided, and have to be borne. 

 It is not of" these we speak, but of the organise 

 horrors encouraged and initialed from above with the 

 -ol, object of terrorising unoffending comnim 

 The wanton destruction of property, the murd 

 outrages on land and sea, the sinking of hospital 

 ships, the insults and tortures inflicted on prisoners 

 of war, have left a stain on the histon oi the guilty 

 nations which cannot be removed by men- compensa- 

 tion of the material damage inflicted. In order _ to 

 restore -the confidence without which no scientific 

 intercourse can be fruitful, thi 1 entral Towers must 

 renounce the political method- which have led to the 

 atrocities that have shockei ilised world. 



