Dec. ]7, 1874] 



NATURE 



123 



The following is a copy of another telegram to the 



NiiLi York Hcrala: — 



"■' Wladiwostok, Siberia, Dec. 9 (10.10 M.E.). — Prof. 

 Hall reports much haze and cloud at Wladiwostok. 

 First and second contact of Venus observed, and thirteen 

 photographs taken near middle of transit. A calm bay, 

 with temperature 34° ; instruments and photographic 

 apparatus v/orking finely. All the American party work- 

 ing well." 



The Russian and Austrian parties give no details ; they 

 only announce their success. 



There is now a certainty th.at in the Southern Hemisphere 

 the eastern stations will be more strongly occupied than 

 the western ones. The Americans were foiled in their 

 gallant attempt to occupy the Crozets, because they had 

 not time to wait for weather moderate enough for them to 

 land their instruments. The party has therefore gone on 

 to Campbell Island, where they will already find a French 

 party. It is difficult to restrain one's pen when we think 

 of the combination of want of a true appreciation of 

 the conditions of the problem, and want of that old spirit 

 which used to make us take up posts of difficulty, which 

 has prevented England being represented here. A 

 successful Polar Expedition will scarcely wipe away the 

 national disgrace which is ours in consequence of official 

 action in this matter, and the French and Americans 

 may well be proud of the position they now occupy. 



The Times thus relates the French landing on Campbell 

 Island :— 



"A letter has been received to-day (Dec. 11), dated 

 Campbell Island, Oct. 4, from the chief of the French Expe- 

 dition stationed there. This had been carried to Bourbon 

 by the ship which had transported the expedition to Camp- 

 bell Island, and which left it to wait at Bourbon until the 

 time came for fetching the astronomers away. The first 

 idea was to keep this ship off the coast of Campbell 

 Island in order that the observers might live on board ; 

 after struggling three days against horrible weather they 

 at last landed on the island, and they soon perceived that 

 it was impossible to keep the ship off the shore, which 

 was without shelter and exposed to terrible gusts of wind, 

 so that it ran the greatest risk of being lost. The mem- 

 bers of the expedition, seeing that if the ship were to go 

 down they were exposed to very serious danger — for they 

 would be abandoned on an uninhabited island without 

 means of communication, while everybody would think 

 they still had the ship at their disposal — decided to unload 

 the ship and establish themselves in the island and to 

 send away the vessel, which would come and fetch them 

 immediately after the observation of the phenomenon. 

 This project was carried out. The observers began by 

 organising temporary shelter, and then they built sheds 

 to protect the instruments, the necessary utensils, and the 

 provisions. The process of unloading was very long and 

 troublesome, because the expedition, which has many 

 members, had brought provisions for one year. While 

 exploring the island they found nearly in the middle of 

 the island a vessel which a hurricane had thrown there, 

 and they were thinking of utilising the wreck, either by 

 splitting it up or by placing themselves inside it, for protec- 

 tion against wind and weather. But two or three days after- 

 wards another hurricane blew the ship out to sea, and 

 they saw it no more. They were then obliged to do the 

 best with all they had brought with them, for they were 

 living in hourly dread of sharing the fate of the wreck. 



" It is thought that since the 4th of October, the date 

 on which the ship left for Bourbon, up to the moment of 

 the transit, the expedition will have completed its orga- 

 nisation, its observatories, and have been able to fulfil its 



mission. As soon as the ship reaches a telegraphic sta- 

 tion, the expedition will hasten to communicate particu- 

 lars to the Institute of France. Nothing is known of 

 course, as to the exact period when these communications 

 will be received. The particulars relative to the difficulties 

 of this expedition and the dangers to which it is exposed 

 have been received here with all the more interest that it 

 was feared only two days ago that the Campbell Island 

 station would not be organised in such a way as to make 

 the observations under favourable conditions. It is still 

 feared the weather may not have been favourable, and 

 that so much fatigue and effort may not have been rewarded 

 with the magnificent result it deserves." 



It will be seen not only that a large number of observa- 

 tions have been made bearing on the main point, but that 

 many side issues of great interest are raised. Dr. 

 Janssen's observations have decidedly been amongst the 

 most remarkable, not only with regard to the absence of 

 the ligament, but as touching the visibility of Venus on 

 the coronal atmosphere. Any detailed reference to these 

 and many other points we must, however, leave for a sub- 

 sequent article. We have been anxious in the present 

 one to put our readers in possession of the results of the 

 observations, so far as we at present know them, in the 

 most authentic and intelligible form. 



CHAPPELL'S "HISTORY OF MUSIC" 

 The History of Music. Vol. I. From the Earliest 

 Records to the Fall of the Roman Empire. By 

 WiUiam Chappell, F.S.A. (London: Chappell and 

 Co., 1874.) 



MUSIC is now being cultivated in a much more 

 earnest and thorough manner than heretofore, not 

 only as a practical art, but as a matter of theoretical and 

 hibtorical interest, as is evidenced by the late formation of 

 a " Society for the study of the Art and Science of Music," 

 the object of which is to encourage musical studies of a 

 higher character than those comprised in ordinary musical 

 training. Hence, as the early history of music is one of 

 the most interesting as well as one of the most obscure 

 topics connected with the art, an authoritative new investi- 

 gation like that before us is of real value. 



j\Ir. Chappell, who has had much to do during his Ufe 

 with practical music, brought out some years ago a 

 " History of the Ballad Literature and Popular Music of 

 the Olden Time," a book which has become now of 

 standard authority , on such matters. It seems that the 

 eminent historian Mr. Grote suggested to him that he 

 would do well to carry his inquiries further back, and to 

 attempt to unravel the state of music among the Greeks. 

 His account of his progress is worth extracting. He 

 says : — 



" Mr. Grote's enthusiasm for the Greeks somewhat 

 exceeded mine ; and, although my recollection of the 

 language was fresher than now, I did not suppose that, 

 even if I should succeed, a knowledge of Greek art and 

 science would greatly advance those of the moderns ; 

 therefore I received the proposal rather lukewarmly. 

 I3ut when favoured with the twelfth and last volume of 

 the 'History of Greece,' with an inscription from the 

 illustrious author, in deference to his long antecedent 

 recommendation I took the first step forward, by buying 

 the works of the Greek writers upon music. 



" I had taken note of the odd uses of Greek words in 

 manuscripts of the Middle Ages written in Latin; there- 



