April 12, 1883] 
NATURE 
567 
published a bulky volume of English phrases, is now preparing 
a series of schoolbooks for use in Chinese government schools. 
An English reading-book for beginners, an elementary geo- 
graphy, a series of conversation books, and a manual of English 
correspondence have either been already published, or will shortly 
appear. Among many other indications of the steady, though 
slow, advance of the Chinese in this direction, the Peking corre- 
spondent of the Worth China Herald refers with regret to the 
retirewent from business of Mr. Yang, a well-known pawnbroker 
of the metropolis. In addition to the ordinary duties of his 
calling this individual appears to have studied chemistry, 
mechanical science, French, mineralogy, medicine, and other 
subjects of a similar kind. He owned gasworks, steam-engines, 
a complete pharmacopeia of drugs, photographic apparatus, and 
a geological cabinet. It is to be hoped that Mr, Yang has 
prospered in his business, because he has retired to his native 
province, Shansi, where he intends prosecuting enterprises for 
coal and iron mining, and other appliances of foreign machinery. 
When tastes of this kind extend to the shrewd and enterprising 
Chinese traders, we need not despair of the outlook for science 
in China, 
SOME time since we alluded to the work done in China by an 
American female physician, Miss Dr. Howard. She has attended 
the mother of Li Hung Chang, the great Viceroy, and now we 
read she is treating the wife of the same high official, The fame 
of the lady doctor appears to have spread far and wide over 
North China, and she is now flooded with applications for assist- 
ance and advice from the women of wealthy families, who would 
die rather than be treated bya foreign male physician. It looks 
as if the various countries of the East offered an almost inex- 
haustible field for women fossessing medical knowledge and 
skill. 
Tue Annual Report of the Glasgow Museum is as favourable 
as can be expected, considering the totally inadequate space 
allotted for the purpose in one of the wealthiest cities of the 
world, ; 
Pror, H. CARRINGTON BOLTON has issued in a separate 
form his address on Chemical Literature, delivered before the 
American Association at Montreal last year. 
For Baron Nordenskjéld’s coming expedition to Greenland a 
flying-machine is now being constructed in Gothenburg. The 
apparatus, a kind of flying or air-sailing machine, is the inven- 
tion of a Swedish engineer, Herr A. Montén, who is now con- 
structing the same at the expense of Dr. Oscar Dickson. 
On the night of April 3, frequent and violent shocks of earth- 
quake were felt at Pedara in Sicily. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 
past week include a Leonine Monkey (Macacus leoninus & ) from 
Arracan, presented by Mr. A. G, Henry ; a Mule Deer (Cervus 
macrotis 2) from North America, presented by Judge Caton, 
C.M.Z.S.; a Common Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris 2), British, 
presented by Miss A. M. Frost; a Common Pintail (Da/ila 
acuta 5), British, presented by Mr. Frank Seago ; a Grey-lag 
Goose (Anser ferus), British, presented by Mr. Vincent W. 
Corbett ; four Palmated Newts (Zyiton palmipes), British, pre- 
sented by Mr. J. E. Kelsall; a Radiated Tortoise (Zestado 
vadiata) from Madagascar, deposited ; a Black Saki (Pithecia 
satanas  ), a White-bellied Parrot (Caica leucogastra) from the 
Amazons, a Talapoin Monkey (Cercopithecus talapoin &), four 
Harlequin Quails (Coturnix histrionica 6 6 2 2) from West 
Africa, a Brazilian Blue Grosbeak (Guiraca cerulea), four Saffron 
Finches (Sycalis flaveola § & 6 ?) from Brazil, purcha-ed. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
D'ArRREsT’s CoMET.—On April 4 a.m. this comet was re- | 
observed by Dr. Hartwig with the 2c-inch refractor of the 
Observatory of Strasburg, near the position indicated by the } 
elements of M. Leveau of Paris. The observation is a notable 
one, having been made at the great interval of 285 days from 
the date of perihelion passage ; no other comet of short period 
has been hitherto observed under such circumstances, indeed 
there is only one instance upon record where a comet has been 
observed further from perihelion passage, and this was in the case 
of the celebrated comet of 1811, which was in perihelion on Sept. 12 
in that year, and was followed by Wisniewsky till Aug. 17, 1812, 
or 309 days after its nearest approach to the sun. The great 
comet of 1861 was observed at Pulkowa 284 days after perihelion. 
The comet in question was discovered by the late Prof. 
D’Arrest at Leipsic on June 27, 1851, and was observed at 
Berlin till October 6; its periodicity was pointed out by the 
same astronomer in the first week in August. MM. Oudemanns 
and Schulze specially occupied themselves with the investigation 
of its orbit in this year, At the next return in 1857 its position 
did not allow of observations in this hemisphere, but it was 
observed at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, on 
December 5, and followed until January 18, 1858. The ensuing 
perihelion passage took place at the end of February, 1864, but 
from the unfavourable track of the comet in the heayens no ob- 
servations were procured. During this revolution the comet had 
approached the planet Jupiter within about 0°36 of the earth’s 
mean distance from the sun, and large perturbations of the ele- 
ments were thereby produced ; the nearest approach occurred in 
April, 1861. At the returns in 1870 and 1877 observations 
sufficient for the correction of the elements were obtained ; the 
later investigation of the comet’s motion has been ably conducted 
by M. Leveau. 
In 1851 at perihelion the comet was distant from the earth’s 
orbit only 0°162; at the present time this distance has been in- 
creased by perturbation to 0°316. There is a very close approach 
to the orbit of Jupiter, in heliocentric longitude 154°, or at an 
angular distance of about 165° before perihelion. In the orbit 
of 1870 the distance was 0°0845, in that of 1884 it is 0°1232 ; the 
presumption will therefore be that the attraction of this planet 
has fixed the comet in the system. 
The following positions are calculated from M. Leveau’s pre- 
dicted elements ; the perihelion passage occurs 1884, January 
13 5765 G.M.T. :— 
At Greenwich Midnisht 
R.A. Decl. Log. distance from 
he aes ; arth, Sun. 
* April 23, 13 38 14 +11 13°7 ... 0'2951 ... 0°4649 
25, 5, 36 25 Il 27°6 
eg. Sh Si7/ II 409°8 ... 0'2927 ... 0°4609 
29; 53, 32mSOme Il 53°2 
WERP Na Sti 2) ce 12 47 -... O'2912 . . 0°4569 
Bhp ee) it) a5 12 1573 
5>, 39 27, Sores | L2525°% 2... OF2906 ... 074528 
7 99 2555 +. 12 33°9 
9; » 24 18 ... +12 4I°7 ... 0'2908 ... 0°4486 
THE SOLAR ECLIPSE IN May.—On May 7, on the eastern 
coast of Australia, the sun will rise in a sea-horizon about the 
time of greatest eclipse. With favourable weather the observa- 
tion will be a very interesting and unusual one, more particu- 
larly about Sydney, where the magnitude of the eclipse is 
greatest. It will be seen from the maps in our ephemerides 
that totality does not reach Australia, but at Sydney the sun will 
rise at 6h. 38m., within a quarter of an hour after the middle of 
the phenomenon, when the magnitude will be 095. In Queens- 
land the magnitude diminishes to 0°75, and the sun will be in 
the horizon at greatest phase. At the former place, therefore, 
a narrow crescent emerging from the sea-horizon will constitute 
apparent sunrise, 
PHYSICS IN RUSSIA DURING THE LAST 
TEN YEARS! 
HE Russian Physical Society was founded only ten years 
ago, and since its foundation it has become the centre of 
all researches in phy-ics carried on in Russia, which were 
limited before to a few dissertations written by Russian Pro- 
fessors of Physics in German Universities, and to a few memoirs 
communicated to the Academy of Sciences. At present the 
* Historical sketch of the work done by the Physical Society at the 
University of St. Petersburg duting the last ten years by N. Hesehus in 
the Journal of the Russian Chemical and Physical Soctety, vol. xiv. 
tasc. ix. 
