208 
NATURE 
[DEcEMBER 31, 1896 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Golden Eagle (Aguila chrysaetus) from 
Norway, presented by Lord William Beresford, V.C. ; a Raven 
(Corvus corax), British, presented by Mr. J. Collingham ; two 
Tree Frogs (Ay/a arborea), European, presented by Master 
Kneeshaw; a Grey Parrot (Psttacus evithacus) from West 
Africa, deposited. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
Comer PERRINE (Dec. 8).—In Astronomischen Nachrichten 
(No, 3391) are given the elements and an ephemeris of the comet 
which was discovered by Mr. Perrine on December 8 last. _ This 
shows that the comet is decreasing in declination and increasing 
in right ascension, its position for December 30 being given as 
R.A: (apparent) 3h. 9°7m., Decl. (apparent) — 0° 9’. Its 
brightness is now about half what it was on December Io. 
The elements, communicated also by Dr. F. Ristenpart, are very 
nearly similar to those referred to above. These are given in 
a later number of the Astronomzschen' Nachrichten (No. 3393), 
together with an ephemeris, calculated by Dr. Ristenpart, up 
to the middle of January, from which we make the following 
extract :-— ’ 
12h, Berlin M.T. 
R.A. 1897‘0 Decl. 1897'0 5 log 7 log. A. Br. 
1897. er unseiss 5 
Jan. 1 Beeman —0 49'I 
2 Ban28 0 56°7 
3 38 38 Tt °3°5 0°1030 9°6149 0°46 
4 43 41 tT 9°5 
5 48 36 I 14°7 
6 Bar 2Ay ie DO 2 
7 en yy scene tie eC) O'1123 9°6482 0°38 
8 4 2 38 I 26°0 
9 hae 1 28°4 
10 II 2 1 30°2 
II 15 39 I 31'4 01222 9°6823 0°31 
12 19 48 I 32°0 
3 23 52 Degecr 
14 A 27-46... 1) 3156 
A matter of some interest is the similarity of the elements 
which have been obtained by Messrs. Hussey and Perrine, and 
those of Biela’s comet. The following shows the two systems 
of elements : 
Perrine, Biela 1832 1/7. 
T = 1896, Nov. 25°67 M.T.G. 1832, Nov. 26°4 M.T.G. 
w = 164 36 109 56 | 
2 = 243 49 248 12 
20 — O25 13 12 
g = 1°1540 08793 
““ TIMMEL UND ERpr.”—The astronomical contributions to 
the December number of this monthly include, besides a some- 
what lengthy obituary notice of M. Tisserand (with a portrait), 
the last of a series of articles by Dr. G. Witt on the planet 
Saturn, several illustrations accompanying the text ; such recent 
work as that accomplished by Keeler regarding the constitution 
of the ring as deduced from the movement of the lines in the 
spectrum, and Campbell’s spectroscopic work are both referred 
to at some length. Of the shorter articles, an interesting 
account is given of Prof. Newcomb’s important work on the 
transits of Mercury across the sun’s disc. By using newly- 
constructed sun- and Mercury-tables, Prof. Newcomb still found 
that differences between calculated and observed values were 
obtained. ow to account for these was his next object of 
research. Might not such differences be due to a false assump- 
tion in assuming that the earth rotates at a constant speed 
around its axis? Or are they the results of inequalities in the 
moon’s motion? Prof. Newcomb finally concluded that in the 
mean motion of the moon there must be one, if not more 
inequalities of long period which our present theory has not yet 
analytically proved. 
ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF FRANCE.—The Aidletin of this 
Society for the month of December contains, among other matters, 
an interesting address by M. Janssen on the late Director of the 
NO. £418, VOL. 55] 
Paris Observatory, M. Tisserand. M, Gilbert concludes in this 
number his article on the mechanical proofs of the rotation of 
the earth, dealing here chiefly with the experiments made with 
various kinds of gyroscopes. Among the notes will be found a 
description, by M. Camille Flammarion, of a pulpit sculptured in: 
wood, having the form ofan inclined terrestrial globe with thecon- 
tinental outlines worked onit. The south pole is situated under- 
neath, and bears the inscription, ‘‘ Regiones australes incogni- 
te.” It was constructed in the year 1600, and is cut out of a 
single piece of oak. M. Flammarion discovered this pulpit in 
the Chapel of Saint-Sang at Bruges, a small church built in the 
-year 1150, and restored in the sixteenth century and since. 
THE DAVY-FARADAY RESEARCH 
LABORATORY. 
HE Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory, established and 
equipped by Dr. Ludwig Mond, was opened by the Prince 
of Wales on Tuesday, December 22. We have already ex- 
pressed our appreciation of this generous gift to British science, 
and have described the accommodation and equipment of the 
new laboratories (vol. liv. p. 200). With a munificence which 
we hope will find many imitators, and a just regard of the value 
of scientific research, Dr. Mond has established a place where 
investigations can be carried on without interruption, and with 
the best appliances. He has not only furnished the laboratory 
with the most modern instruments and appliances for researches 
in pure and physical chemistry, but has also given an ample en- 
dowment, so that the laboratory may be maintained in a state 
of thorough efficiency, his object being to give every assistance 
and encouragement, within the}limits of the endowments, to 
scientific workers. To accomplish this has cost a hundred 
thousand pounds, of which sum 38,000/. is sunk in the building 
and its equipment, while the remaining 62,000/. constitutes the 
endowment fund. For the very practical way in which Dr. 
Mond has shown his interest in the promotion of material 
knowledge, men of science cannot express too warm a sense of 
gratitude. We look to the workers in the laboratory to repay 
the generosity of the founder by their contributions to know- 
ledge, and so induce other benefactors to follow the example. 
set by Dr, Mond. 
The following account of the opening of the laboratory, 
abridged from the report in the Z?%es, will be read with. 
interest :-— 
Dr. Mond, addressing the Prince of Wales, said that under the 
auspices of his Royal Highness’s august father, whose enlightened 
mind had fully realised that the pursuit of pure science was the 
most potent factor in the promotion of the intellectual as well as. 
the material progress of this or any other nation or of humanity: 
at large, a movement was set on foot fifty years ago to found am 
institute for the pursuit of pure chemistry, which was not only 
to give practical and systematic instruction to students, but was: 
also to provide a place where original research could»be con- 
ducted by fully-qualified investigators. At first it was proposed 
to attach this institute to the Royal Institution. The eminent 
professors of the time, Faraday and Brande, expressed their 
strong approval of the intended project, and their desire that it 
might be carried out at the Royal Institution, if it could be done 
well; but, nevertheless, this idea had to be abandoned,. 
because sufficient accommodation could not be found within the: 
precincts of the institution. The first part of the scheme was. 
carried out a few years later by the foundation of the: 
Royal College of Chemistry, which, under the guidance: 
of the illustrious Hofmann, soon became one of the most suc- 
cessful schools of chemistry in the world ; but the second’ part,. 
that of providing a place where original researches could be 
carried on by a number of independent investigators, had been 
waiting all this time for its realisation. Several years before 
these facts came to his knowledge he had determined of his own. 
accord to found in London a laboratory of research in purely 
scientific chemistry and in physical chemistry, that borderland 
between chemistry and physics from which, in his opinion, they 
might hope to learn more about the real nature of things than: 
from any other branch of natural science. He also had come to 
the conclusion that such a laboratory would derive the greatest 
advantage if it could be associated with the Royal Institution of 
Great Britain, which had during its long existence made the 
promotion of original research in these sciences one of its maim 
objects, and the laboratories of which had been productive andi 
