212 
satisfied, so far as I can see, by a group formed from the disper- 
sion of a comet by Jupiter, or other large planet. If the frag- 
ments of the comet leave the neighbourhood of Jupiter, they 
should after each revolution return nearly to the same point in 
space. But a radiant area 8° or 10° long. on the night of 
November 27, implies a distribution of the aphelia over 10° or 
12° of longitude, or a similarly large difference of major axes. 
Such orbits can hardly have a common point at a great distance 
from the sun. Moreover, a scattering accomplished in a short 
time upon a body moving in an orbit inclined several degrees to 
the ecliptic should, it would seem, be incompatible with a 
grouping at the earth’s node. ; 
‘Again, suppose that a disrupted body or agglomeration has 
been once changed into a stream by the differential action of 
gravitation in the manner shown so beautifully by Schiaparelli. 
If the perturbing forces exerted by any planet or planets, whether 
temporary or long continued, should produce such differences 
of major axes, or longitudes of perihelia, by differential action, 
the total action would, undoubtedly, entirely scatter the group 
at the earth’s nodes. 
**Tn fact, instead of regarding the meteors as a stream, we 
ought rather to look upon the group as coming together near 
the perihelion—or near the node—and then scattering widely, 
to reassemble, perhaps, after a complete revolution in the orbit. 
‘© A resisting medium cannot account for the observed effect, 
for this does not change the longitude of the perihelion of the 
orbit. 
‘<Tt seems to me, therefore, that the periodic meteors cannot 
haye been brought into the solar system as a stream, but that 
the forces which have scattered the comets are those acting near 
the perihelia of their orbits. As a probable corollary, we may 
infer that whatever force divided Biela’s comet into its two prin- 
cipal parts was one acting near the perihelion. 
“‘Tf we consider the orbits of the meteors of November 14, 
the preceding discussion is simplified. That shower is sharply 
limited, being in its greatest intensity only one or two hours 
long. Its recurrence at regular intervals of one-third of a cen- 
tury, for nearly a thousand years, precludes great differences of 
the major axes of the individual orbits, and the secular proces- 
sion of the node of the group, as @ group, equally forbids great 
differences of inclinations of the orbits. 
"The size of the radiant is therefore due almost exclusively to 
tke difference of the longitude of the perihelia. This difference 
for that group cannot be less than 15°. 
**In conclusion I would say that we have no evidence, as yet, 
that any radiant of meteors is so small as is apparently required 
by the supposition of the distinguished Italian astronomer, that 
the meteors were drawn as a stream into the solar system from 
the stellar spaces. With Prof. Weiss and others, I am inclined 
to consider them all to have been once connected with periodic 
comets. The scattering took place apparently at or near the 
perihelion,” 
THE NATIONAL HERBARIA 
THE following memorial has been transmitted to the First 
Lord of the Treasury on the above subject :— 
‘© To the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, First Lord of the 
Treasury. 
‘¢S1r,—The undersigned persons engaged in the pursuit of 
botany, or in instruction therein, desire to call your serious 
attention to a subject that deeply concerns the progress of 
Natural Science, and that of those branches of agriculture, horti- 
culture, forestry, and manufactures that largely depend on 
botanical research. 
«© The First Commissioner of Works, in a Memorandum pre- 
sented to Parliament before the close of last session, clearly 
raised the question whether it is desirable to transfer to the 
branch of the British Museum about to be constructed at South 
Kensington the Scientific Collections and Library now existing 
at Kew, and further stated that, pending the decision on that 
subject, he considers it his duty to take care that no new expense 
shall be incurred at Kew which will embarrass the Ministers of 
the Crown or the House of Commons in arriving at a decision. 
‘©The Lords of the Treasury, in their Minute of the 24th 
July, decline to refer to that portion of the above-mentioned 
Memorandum, and no statement on that subject hes since been 
made by any Minister of the Crown which shows whether it has 
received the attention of the Government, 
NATURE 
; | Fan. 16, 1873 
a 
‘* Being strongly of opinion that the proposed measure would 
be highly detrimental to the progress of science, and injurious 
to all those interests that depend upon it, we beg to urge upon 
you that the subject is not one merely of departmental interest, 
and that it would not be unfitting your position, as First Minister 
of the Crown, to give your consideration to the followin 
reasons which we beg to urge in opposition to the propos 
measure :— . 
**y, That it appears to us that itis absolutely necessary that a 
great Botanical Garden like that at Kew, which is confessedly 
far the most important in the world, should be in close connec- 
tion with as perfect an Herbarium and Botanical Library as 
possible, and that these conditions are now fulfilled as far as cir- 
cumstances and the present state of science will admit. 
‘2, That such a combination of living and dead specimens is 
requisite for the complete study of plants, as regards their techni- 
cal, physiological, and economic characters; and that the re- 
moval of the Herbarium would bea retrograde step in a scientific 
point of view. 
‘*3, That the records of the Colonial and India Offices will 
show of what immense importance the establishment at Kew 
has been to the welfare of the entire British Empire, and that 
weighty questions are constantly submitted to the Director which 
require immediate attention, and which could not, in many cases, 
be satisfactorily answered without reference to the Library or 
Herbarium. y 
“4. That every facility for the investigation of the intimate 
structure and general habits of plants, and the study of them in 
every point of view which can reasonably be considered within 
the scone of pure Botany, is afforded by the Herbarium and 
Museum of Botany in connection with the Garden, and that it 
would be easy to point out important labours in that direction 
which have been instituted at Kew, while the systematic treat- 
ment has always regarded the more mimute characters as well as. 
those which are superficial. 
«5. It has been remarked, indeed, that important works, such 
as the ‘ Hortus Kewensis,’ have been prepared without the aid 
of an Herbarium at Kew. We would, however, remark that 
the statement is not correct, as there was an Herbarium, which 
was dispersed before Sir W. Hooker became Director ; and the 
conditions of Natural Science are at the present time so com- 
pletely altered that it is impossible to institute any fair com- 
parison, the number of known species being enormously increased 
since the date of the publication in question. 
**6. That the Museums of Structural and Economic Botany, » 
which owe their existence and importance to the late Sir W. 
Hooker, are often found of great value in the decision of critical 
points in the study of species, and that the severance of them 
from the Herbarium and Library would be a serious loss. 
‘7, That in the principal Botanic Gardens on the Continent, 
where effective work is done, there is in every case a large her- 
barium connected with them. 
‘*8, That, in the interest of Botanical Science, we think it 
highly desirable that, besides the collections now existing at Kew, 
an Herbarium, or collection of dried plants, as complete as 
possible, should be maintained in connection with the Natural 
History Museum which it is proposed to place at South Ken- 
sington, and that the two Herbaria should be in intimate re- 
lation with each other. 
‘*g. That from the delicate and perishable nature of its con- 
tents, and the necessity of referring to numerous specimens, an 
Herbarium cannot be made use of by many persons at the same 
time ; and while it is desirable that students should have ready 
means of access at the National Museum in London to collections 
which may enable them to identify the plants of any particular 
country, it is still more essential that the authors of important 
works in Botanical Science should be enabled, as at present, to 
pursue their labours at Kew without interruption from casual 
visitors. 
**to. That an Herbarium is the least costly of all collections 
of Natural History, and that which requires the least amount of 
space for its proper maintenance, in proportion to the number of 
objects which it contains, 
‘tr. That the arrangements of the Herbarium at Kew are so 
perfect, and the facilities for study so great, that it is resorted to 
from all parts of the world; and it would therefore be unwise 
to make a change which in the result is almost certain to be 
detrimental, and-which, we are assured, would be especially 
distasteful to the leading foreign botanists. 
“‘M. J. Berkeley, F.L.S., Botanical Director to the Royal 
