402 
NALTORE 
[AucusT 24, 1899 
of the great lines of faulting crossing Manchuria, indicated by 
Richthofen. 
THE current number of the Zeztschréft der Gesellschaft fiir 
Erdiunde (vol. xxxiv, No. 2) is entirely devoted to the official 
reports of the members of the German deep-sea expedition in 
the Valdivia. Prof. Chun gives a narrative of the expedition 
and its progress; Dr. Gerhard Schott reports on the ocean- 
ographical work; and the navigating officer, Herr Walter 
Sachse, adds an account of the re-discovery of Bouvet Island. 
A summary of the contents of these reports has already appeared 
in these columns (p. 114). 
A NUMBER of students from the Paris Ecole Supérieure 
d'Electricité visited electrical works and manufactories in 
Switzerland at the end of last March, this being the second 
excursion arranged by the authorities of the School. A report 
upon some of the objects and installations examined was pre- 
sented to the Société internationale des Electriciens in May, and 
has just been published as an excerpt from the Az//etzn of the 
Society, by M. Gauthier- Villars, Paris. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus lalandiz) 
from South Africa, presented by Mr. R. Hilliard; a Brown 
Capuchin (Cebus fatuellus,?) from Guiana, presented by 
Colonel Bourchier; a Common Kingfisher (Alcedo zspida), 
British, presented by Mr. John Porter; an Alexandrine Parra- 
keet (Palacornis alexandri, 9 ) from India, presented, by Miss J. 
M. Pott; a Common Boa (Soa constrictor) from South 
America, presented by Mr. C. W. Lilley; an Alligator (4//z- 
gator mississippiensis) from Southern North America, presented 
by Commander H. Woodcock; two Grevy’s Zebras (Zguus 
grevyt, 8 9) from Southern Abyssinia, a Malayan Bear ( Ursus 
malayanus) from Malacca, deposited ; three Pink-headed Ducks 
(Rhodonessa caryophyllacea, 69 9) from India, six Edible 
Frogs (Rana esculenta), European; twelve Paradise Fish 
(Macropus viridi-auratus) from China, purchased ; a Japanese 
Deer (Cervus sika), a Puma (Felis concolor), a Burchell’s Zebra 
(Zquus burchellé, 2), born in the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 
HoLMEs’ CoMET 1899 d (1892 III.).— 
Ephemerts for 12h. Greenwich Mean Time. 
1899. R.A. Decl. Br. 
a 
hemes Brew oh r-2 (rA)-2 
August 24 257 44°22 +3817 15°7 o'1888  0°04999 
25 58 33°92 38 32 213 
265 2059) 22err 38 47 22°9 
2 3) ON 837 39 2 204 
28 O 53°85 39 17 13°77. O1869 ~=0'05109 
29 I 37°31 39 32 27 
30 2 19°13 39 46 471 
31 25926 +40 I 268 
3 
During the ensuing week the comet is in a good position for 
observation by observers having sufficient optical power ; it 
passes closely to the south of the second magnitude variable star 
B Persei (Algol). 
THE PARIS OBSERVATORY.—The annual report of M. 
Loewy, the director of the Observatory, contains a detailed 
review of the work accomplished during the past year. 
Special attention has been devoted to the improvement of 
meridian observations, chiefly in the attempt to eliminate in- 
strumental errors by greater precision and stability of the 
mountings. 
The small equatoral coudé has been provided with several 
accessories, and the building covering it so altered that the 
whole is now adapted for astrophysical observations. 
The volume of observations made during 1897 will shortly be 
published in four separate parts, by different authors, who 
NO. 1556, VOL. 60] 
will each be responsible for all reductions, descriptions and 
discussions contained in the part under their names. 
The fourth part of the Paris Observatory Catalogue (of which 
the first three parts already published contain all the meridian 
observations made from 1837-1881) has just been completed. 
The meridian circles have been in use for fundamental obsery- 
ations, for a revision of Lalande’s Catalogue, and for work 
on the variation of latitude. f 
Coudé Eguatorial.—The large instrument has been chiefly 
used in obtaining further series of photographs of the moon 
(scale about 6°5 inches to the lunar diameter) for the large 
lunar atlas now in progress of publication. During the year 
591 plates have been obtained for this purpose. The method 
of enlargement of the negatives has also been improved. 
Accompanying the report is a heliogravure of the moon when 
20d.59h. old, reproduced the same size as the original plate. 
For part of the year the photographic objective was replaced 
by the visual glass, and the instrument then used by M. Hamy 
for measuring the diameters of small celestial objects by an 
interference method. The satellites of Jupiter and the planet 
Vesta have been measured in this way, the diameter of the 
latter agreeing very closely with the value obtained by Prof. 
E. E. Barnard. 
Astrographic Equatorial.—The actual photographic work is 
now almost completed, all that remains to be done being the 
replacement of a small number of defective plates. The reduc- 
tion of the plates for the Catalogue is well in hand, and seven of 
the Chart plates have been engraved for heliographic repro- 
duction. 
“THE BULLETIN ASTRONOMIQUE.”—The August numbercon- 
tains several interesting and suggestive articles. —M. Flammarion 
contributes an article on ‘‘ The World of Jupiter,” in which he 
discusses at length the question of the various rotation periods 
of the planet, and also an illustrated account of the observation 
made by M. Antoniadi at Juvisy during the opposition of June 
1898.—‘‘ The Rotation of Venus”’ is treated mathematically by 
Abbé Th. Moreux, based on observations made at Juvisy by 
M. Antoniadi.—‘‘ Observations of Mars” (illustrated) are 
contributed by MM. V. Cerulli and J. Chloudoff.—MM. 
L. Rudaux and Em. Touchet furnish an article on the 
*« Systematic Observation of Meteors,” giving a suggested form 
for recording observations systematically, and dealing with the 
determination of radiants, the physical characters of the swarms, 
heights of the meteors, and the photographing of them. 
THE Sun's Heat.—Prof. T. J. J. See contributes a further 
article dealing with the extension of Helmholtz’s theory of the 
heat of the sun, in Astr. Mach. (Bd. 150, No. 3586). The 
method he now pursues is the determination of the potential 
of a heterogeneous sphere as caused by itself. He finds that 
the energy developed by the condensation on this assumption is 
greater than that produced in the condensation of a homogeneou 
sphere in the ratio of 176,868 to 100,000, , 
IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE. 
THE autumn meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute was 
held this year at Manchester, on August 15 and 16, under 
the presidency of Sir William Roberts-Austen, K.C.B,, and 
was attended by an unusually large number of members. The 
meetings were held in the Town Hall, the members being 
welcomed to Manchester in eloquent speeches by the Lord 
Mayor and by Mr. S. R. Platt, chairman of the Executive Re- 
ception Committee. In acknowledging the words of welcome, 
the President referred to the services rendered to metallurgy by 
Dalton and Joule, and by such great engineers as Fairbairn, 
Whitworth and Daniel Adamson, Manchester's distinguished 
sons. The programme was a long and varied one, no less 
than ten papers being on the list. The first read was by 
Prof. J. Wiborgh, of Stockholm, whose contribution, which 
was translated and read by Mr. H. Bauerman,dealt with the 
use of finely divided iron ore obtained by concentrating pro- 
cesses. By the introduction of such methods of separation, the 
power of enriching iron ores has been greatly increased ; but 
the advantages are qualified by the circumstance that the pro- 
duct obtained is usually in the form of fine powder, which 
limits its utility to the smelter. The question of how such 
material can best be applied is one of importance, and the 
author shows how the material may be utilised by direct 
