NATURE 
375 
é EARTHQUAKE-SHOCKS were felt on January 23 at Schattwald 
(Tyrol) at 10.45 a.m., direction west-east, and at Vils, Tannheim 
(Tyrol), and Oberdorf (Bavaria), at8 p.m. A shock of earth- 
quake occurred at Bucarest in the night of January 25-26, at 
12.30, and at Tecucin and Marasesci (Roumania) on January 26 
at 12,25 a.m. On February 5 a shock of earthquake was expe- 
rienced at Nagy Iglod and Dees (Hungary) at 3.45 p.m., direc- 
tion north-east-south-west. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Malbrouck Monkey (Cercopithecus cyno- 
surus &) from East Africa, presented by Mr, R. A. St. Leger ; 
a Chacma Baboon (Cynocephalus porcarius $ ) from South Africa, 
presented by Mr. W. F. Battersby; an Amherst Pheasant 
(Thaumalea amherstig 6) from Szechuen, China, presented by 
Mr. John Biehl; two Crocodiles (Crocodilus, sp. inc.) from 
South Africa, presented by Capt. D. King, R.N. ; a Californian 
Quail (Callipepla californica ? ) from California, deposited ; two 
Eagle Owls (£0, sp. inc.) from South Africa, on approval; a 
Red-fronted Lemur (Lemur rujifrons 6) from Madagascar, a 
Common Otter (Zz/va vulgaris) from Ireland, four Warty-faced 
Honey-eaters (Meliphaga phrygia), two Wattled Ducks (Biziura 
Jobata § $) from Australia, a Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachy- 
rhynchus), European, purchased; a Hybrid Tapir (betweeu 
Tapirus roulini § and Zafpirus americanus 2), born in the 
Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, PARIS.—At the annual public 
sitting of this body on February 6, recommendations of a com- 
mittee consisting of MM. Faye, Loewy, Mouchez, Janssen, and 
Tisserand, with respect to the award of the astronomical prizes of 
1881, were adopted by the Academy. The Lalande Prize was 
awarded to Mr. Lewis Swift, of Rochester, New York, who in the 
course of four years has discovered seven comets, one of them of 
short period. The committee remarked that we have now a family 
of seven periodical comets, of which the aphelion distances do 
not differ much from the mean distance of Jupiter, and this 
great planet appears to have drawn them in‘o our system. 
There are doubtless interesting researches to make on this point 
of theoretical astronomy: ‘‘ La premicére chose a faire est de 
recueillir de nombreux matériaux ; aussi convient-il d’encourager 
les travailleurs qui consacrent leurs veilles 4 la recherche des 
cométes.” 
‘The Valz Prize was awarded to Mr. David Gill, H.M. astro- 
nomer at the Cape of Good Hope, for his researches on solar 
parallax, and more especially for the results of his expedition to 
Ascension, for the observation of Mars at the close opposition 
of 1877. Mr. Gill has twice applied what is known as ‘he 
diurnal method (first employed by Cassini two centuries since) to 
observations of Mars with the heliometer. The Ascension 
expedition is pronounced to have been a great success, twenty- 
two series of observations of Mars having been obtained, each 
of which affords a value of the parallax. The discussion of the 
observations proves that they were made with a high degree of 
precision, and the committee conclude that ‘la valeur qui en 
résulte pour la parallax du Soleil parait devoir étre l'une des 
plus exactes.” 
The prizes offered for the year 1882 are those founded by 
Lalande (a gold medal of 540 francs), by Valz (460 francs), 
and that instituted in 1863 by the Baronne de Damoiseau. The 
latter is continued for the same subject as on several previous 
occasions, when no adequate vesponse was received, and the 
terms are thus stated :—‘‘ Revoir la théorie des satellites de 
Jupiter; discuter les observations et en déduire les constantes 
quelle renferme, et particuli¢rement celle qui fournit une deter- 
mination directe de la vitesse de la lumiére; enfin construire 
des Tables particuli¢res pour chaque satellite.” Competitors 
are desired to give particular attention to one of the conditions— 
that relating to the determination of the velocity of light. The 
value of the prize is 10,000 francs ; memoirs received till June 1, 
1882. 
THE TOTAL SOLAR EcLipsE OF May 17.—It appears that 
astronomy is to be once more indebted to the scientific spirit and 
“the length of the total obscuration. 
munificence of M, Bischoffsheim, the banker of Paris (a valued 
friend of the late M, Leverrier), who, according to the Zzmes, 
has undertaken the expense of a mission to Upper Egypt, for 
the observation of this phenomenon. Upper Egypt is about the 
only accessible locality ayailable on this occasion, and in that 
district the duration of the total phase will be less than 13 
minute. It will therefore be necessary for the observer to be 
situate close upon the central line of eclipse to secure a sufficient 
duration for any useful purpose. Hansen’s Lunar Tables, as is 
well known, require correction at this time, but it happens that 
the Lunar Tables adopted in the ‘‘ American Ephemeris” give 
the moon’s place in pretty close agreement with that resulting 
from Hansen’s, with Newcomb’s corrections applied, and the 
track of total eclipse given in detail in that Ephemeris may be 
taken as almost as reliable a prediction as it will be possible to 
make. We extract as follows :— 
Greenwich N. Limit | Central Line. S. Limit. 
“aa Time Long. E. Lat.N.} Long £. Lat. N. | Long. E. Lat. N. 
es a al o 4 ‘ oF ° 
May 16 ... 18 20 ... 28 39°9 «.- 25 17°5 | 28 558.25 80 | 29 "7 eve 24 58°5 
18 25 ... 31 21 4 «.. 26 42'5 | 3X 37:0 --- 20 319 | 31 52°6 «.. 26 2173 
18 30... 33 50°8 ... 28 06/34 6'r ... 27 489 | 34 2174 «+. 27 372 
18 35 +. 36 11°5 «- 29 12°8 | 36 264 ... 29 0°2 | 396 41°3 «- 28 47°6 
The duration of totality upon the central line, assuming the 
sun’s semi-diameter 15’ 50’°8, and the moon’s geocentric semi- 
diameter 15’ 519, will be at the above Greenwich times respec- 
tively, Im. 6°3s., Im, 12‘Os., Im. 17‘Is., Im, 21°8s, : an obser- 
ver proceeding beyond the intersection of the central line with 
the Nile, say to Ras Mahomed at the extremity of the peninsula 
of Sinai, will not therefore secure an increase of ten seconds in 
We hear reports of an 
intention on the part of several American astronomers to visit 
Egypt for tke observation of the eclipse, and hope this country 
may not be unrepresented. 
THE TRANSIT OF MERCURY, NOVEMBER 7, 1881.—This 
phenomenon appears to have been well observed in Australia. 
If the times of internal contacts are founded upon Leverrier’s 
tables of sun and planet, and the semi-diameters he deduced 
from a discussion of the transits of Mercury to 1845, the Mel- 
bourne observations indicate that the computed time of first 
internal contact is too early by 24°5s., and that of last internal 
contact by 26°0s. According to the observations of that able 
amateur, Mr. Tebbutt, at Windsor, N.S.W., these errors are 
respectively 20°8s. and 27°3s. The calculations of the American 
ephemeris, where Leverrier’s old theory of the planet (Conmais- 
sance des Terps, 1848) is adopted, exhibit much larger errors, at 
least as regards the exterior contacts, for which alone the for- 
mulz of reduction for parallax are given. The experience is 
therefore the same as at the previous transit on May 6, 1878. 
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
AT the meeting of the Geographical Society on Monday last, 
Sir Richard Temple delivered a lecture which nominally dealt 
with the geography of the birthplace and cradle of the Mahratta 
power in Western India, but practically became rather a dis- 
quisition on the history of the race, and much of the information 
furnished will, no doubt, have been familiar to readers of 
Meadows Taylor’s work. 
Some further fragments of news have come from the rescued 
members of the /eanelte expedition. Every effort is being 
made to find Captain De Long and his companions, .but at 
this season, and in such a region as the Lena mouth, the 
searchers have a hard task before them, Lieut. Danenhauer 
sends some interesting notes on the course taken by the 
Jiannette :-—‘* We discovered Jeannette Island May 16, 1881 (?), 
in lat. 76° 47’, long. 158° 56’ E. It was small and rocky, and 
we did not land upon it. Henrietta Island was discovered May 
24, in lat. 77° 8’, long. 157° 43’ E. We visited it, and found it 
to be an extensive island, animals scarce, many glaciers. A 
very large island, found in lat. 76° 38’, long. 148° 20’ E, was 
named Bennett Island. On it we found many birds, old horns, 
driftwood, and coal; no seal or walrus; strong tidal action; 
bold and rocky. ‘he south cape we named Emma. ‘The 
general health of the crew during twenty-one months was ex- 
cellent, noscurvy. We used distilled water, bear and seal meat 
twice a week, but no rum. Divine service was held regularly. 
We took plenty of exercise, and everybody hunted. Game was 
scarce, but we got thirty bears, 250 seals, and six walrus; no fish 
or whales seen. All possible observations were made during the 
