MarcH 31, 1904] 
INA LORE. 
Beil 
19. Saturn. Major axis outer ring=37"°74. Minor 
2 axis=9'''05. 
20-22. Epoch of April meteors (Zy7ds, radiant 271° + 33°). 
21. Sh. Mercury at greatest elongation east 20° 11’. 
22, 22h. Venus in conjunction with Jupiter. Venus 
O° 30'S 
27. 12h. 20m. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
30. oh. gm. Minimum of Algol (8 Persei). 
», 18h. 32m. Transit (egress) of Jupiter’s Sat. III. 
(Ganymede). 
STANDARD Vetocity Stars.—In a communication to 
No. 2, vol. xix., of the Astrophysical Journal, M. A. Belo- 
polsky gives an account of the work which has been done 
at Pulkowa in connection with the international cooperative 
scheme for the determination of the radial velocities of 
certain standard stars. 
The 36-inch refractor and a new Tépfer spectrograph, 
similar to the Potsdam IIIa. spectrograph, have been used, 
and the details of the methods employed and of the pro- 
wvisional results obtained, for six of the velocity stars, are 
given in the present paper. The results are not so good as 
might be expected, but it is hoped that better results will 
be attained during the next year’s work. The spectrum 
of iron was used for comparison, and control spectrograms 
of the sun, Mars, Jupiter and Venus were obtained. The 
results for the first three are discussed in the present paper ; 
those for Venus, which are much more comprehensive, are 
being reserved for a future communication. 
OgseRVED Motions 1N THE Nova Perse: NesuLa.—Prof. 
J. M. Schaeberle, in a note to the Astronomische Nach- 
yichten (No. 3935), points out the great importance of study- 
ing every possible condition which may affect the determin- 
ation of the parallax of the nebula surrounding Nova 
Persei, for until the parallax is unquestionably known 
theories regarding the observed movements can only be of 
a highly speculative character. In determining the actual 
parallax only the ‘‘ absolute’’ method is available, and 
Prof. Schaeberle suggests that one of the conditions affect- 
ing the results might possibly be a refraction of the rays 
by some interplanetary medium filling the solar system. 
He contends that it is only reasonable to suppose that a 
difference of some kind may exist between the space void 
of heated matter and that surrounding an attracting mass | 
radiating both matter and heat. If any medium (either 
gaseous or ethereal), such as an extended solar atmosphere, 
does exist, then any light entering such a space would be 
refracted, and the hitherto determined negative parallaxes 
are simply the differences between this refraction and the 
true parallax, where the latter is less than the former ; 
similarly in cases where the measures indicate no parallax 
the two may be equal and opposite. Thus if this refraction 
constant were only 1” the recorded motions in the nebulosity 
_surrounding Nova Persei would be readily explicable, for 
with a parallax of 1’ they are about equal in magnitude 
to those occasionally observed in solar work. 
A New Form or EouatortaL Mountinc.—A new form 
of equatorial mounting, for which the inventor, Herr A. F. 
Lindemann, of Darmstadt, claims many advantages, is de- 
scribed and illustrated by a diagram in No. 3935 of the 
Astronomische Nachrichten. 
The light from the star is collected by an objective placed 
at the upper end of the polar axis, and by a system of 
mirrors is reflected down that axis. By suitable mechanism 
the movements in R.A. and ‘declination are imparted to 
tubes inside the telescope (i.e. the polar axis), and hence 
to the reflectors, from clockwork of the usual form. 
Among the many advantages claimed for this form of 
mounting are that the observer may remain comfortably 
seated in a room of uniform temperature, the instrument 
is very compact and perfectly balanced, the vibration effects 
are reduced to a minimum, and no large dome with costly 
mechanism for revolving it is required. ‘ 
Tue LEONID SHOWER OF 1903.—Further evidence that the 
Leonid shower of 1903 afforded a fairly rich display is 
given by the observations made at the Royal Observatory 
at Lisbon. During a watch of 3h. 28m. (15h. 14-7m. to 
c8h. 42-7m. G.M.T.) on November 15, Senor Campos 
NO. 1796, VOL. 69] 
Rodrigues counted 165 Leonids. At the maximum of the 
shower during the five minutes’ interval from 16h. 46-7m. to 
16h. 51-7m. 22 Leonids were counted (Astronomische 
Nachrichten, No. 3936). 
THE INSTITUTION OF NAVAL ARCHITECTS. 
THE annual general meeting of the Institution of Naval 
Architects was held last week in the theatre of the 
Society of Arts, the president, the Earl of Glasgow, occupy- 
ing the chair. The meeting commenced on the morning 
of Wednesday, March 23, and was carried on during the 
two following days. There was on the agenda a list of 
fourteen papers to be read and discussed, and these, being 
all dealt with, made, together with the presidential address 
and other business, a very full programme for each day, 
possibly too full, considering the sittings did not commence 
until moon. 
As president of the institution, Lord Glasgow yearly gives 
a general summary of the condition of the shipbuilding and 
marine engineering industries of the country in his address, 
which, though brief, contains a quantity of matter which 
well illustrates Huxley’s apothegm as to the need of know- 
ing a great deal to say a little well. His remarks on the 
future of the steam turbine, on the prospects of internal 
combustion engines, and on other matters of a like nature 
indicate that Lord Glasgow is more than a merely orna- 
mental president. 
The chief interest in the meeting was doubtless centered 
in Sir Edward Reed’s paper on the two battleships recently 
purchased from the Chilian authorities by our own 
Admiralty. These two ships, now H.M.S. Triumph and 
Swiftsure—formerly the Libertad and_ the Constitucion— 
were designed by Sir Edward Reed in conjunction with 
officers of the Chilian Navy. The debates in Parliament, in 
which the designs of these vessels were compared with 
those of battleships of the Royal Navy, raised considerable 
feeling, and the personal element, which always attracts 
interest, was not absent. It cannot be said, however, that 
either the paper or the discussion did much to advance 
the science of warship design. Sir Edward Reed 
maintained the superiority of his own designs, whilst Sir 
William White, who was the chief speaker in the dis- 
cussion, upheld the superior advantages of the ships 
for which he was responsible. At present the efficiency 
of designs for warships is an open question upon which 
critics may hold conflicting opinions without fear of them 
being proved erroneous, and this position is likely to con- 
tinue until practical evidence is obtained by the test of 
actual warfare. Beyond this, however, it is seldom—in 
fact one may say never—that particulars sufficient for a 
full comparison of different ships are made public, and it is 
for these reasons that the controversies in warship design 
are so barren. 
A paper by Lord Brassey which followed, and dealt 
with the problem of merchant cruisers and steamship 
subsidies, pointed out the need that would arise in case of 
war for more scouts than the navy at present possesses, and 
advocated the use of merchant vessels for this purpose. 
Here naval opinion was divided, one authority, Admiral 
Fitzgerald, maintaining that it would be better policy to 
devote any money available to the building of regular war- 
ships rather than to paying subsidies, whilst another admiral, 
Sir Edmund Fremantle, said that if he had to send a vessel 
at full speed across the ocean he would select an Atlantic 
liner, as our cruisers would not be able to maintain so 
high a speed for so long a period as the mercantile vessel. 
The question of portable armour, to be shipped in case of 
war on merchant vessels, was also brought forward, but 
this was fully discussed by Prof. Biles at a meeting of the 
institution held just ten vears ago. 
On the second day of the meeting Sir William White 
read a paper in which he advocated the establishment of an 
experimental tank for testing ships’ forms by means of 
models, on the system instituted by the late William Froude 
at Torquay. At the Glasgow meeting of the institution 
held in 1901, Mr. Yarrow brought forward a motion pro- 
posing that a tank should be established under the auspices 
of the institution. As a result efforts were made to raise 
the necessary funds, but although some ship-building firms 
promised handsome subscriptions, the proposal was not well 
