136 



NATURE 



[Deckmuek 8, 1098 



for the delermination of solar parallax. The next most favoui- 

 able op|X3sition will occur in 1900 in November and December, 

 so he gives a rough ephemeris for this period of approach. As 

 this table will probably be useful for reference, we reproduce it 

 below : — 



In the northern hemisphere the position of the planet among 

 the stars can be fixed from hour to hour both by the photo- 

 graphic telescope and the heliometer. "The combination of 

 observations," as Prof. Newcomb remarks, " in the eastern and 

 western hemispheres will then, it may be hoped, suffice for the 

 best determination of the solar parallax yet made by direct 

 measurement. ' 



ANEW Algol Variable. — Mr. Edwin F. Sawyer describes, 

 in the Astronomical Journal (Nos. 448-450), the observations 

 of a variable which he shows to be of the Algol type. The star 

 in question is D.M. + 12^ 3557, and has a period of 2ih. 21m., 

 the fluctuations in brightness being about half a magnitude, 

 namely, from 7'o to 7-5. The intervals of time from maximum 

 to minimum and from minimum to maximum occupy indi- 

 vidually two hours and a half. The table containing the observ- 

 ations, which Mr. Sawyer has made between September 15, 1895, 

 and October 27 of this year, shows that the star was near its 

 minimum on September g and 16, October 3, 10, II, 12, 20 

 and 27. Combining these observations with others made at 

 Potsdam, the epoch and period have been approximately deter- 

 mined as 1S98 October 3, I3h. im. Greenwich mean lime, and 

 -H od. 2lh. 2lm. E. respectively. It is not without interest to 

 note that this star, which is No. 2510 of the Potsdam Photo- 

 metric Catalogue, was observed once each by Kempf and Miiller 

 on September 24, 1888, as 7'74m., and on October 29, 1890, as 

 7 ■57m. On each of these occasions the variable was near a 

 minimum ; but as the observations agreed so well, the final value 

 7 ■66m. was entered in their catalogue. The magnitude given 

 in the Durchmusterting was 7 o. 



The Geminids. — So unfavourable was the weather for 

 meteor observations during last month, that it is very doubtful 

 whether the Leonids and Andromedes were observed at all in 

 England. At the end of this week, December 10-12, there will 

 be a well-known shower emanating from Gemini ; but although 

 furnishing us with thirty or forty meteors in an hour, it does not 

 compare with the .sometimes magnificent displays that have 

 been set down to the other two meteor swarms above men- 

 tioned. The absence of the moon on this occasion should 

 render observations favourable. 



THE ANNIVERSARY MEETING OF THE 

 ROYAL SOCIETY. 



/~\N Wednesday in la-st week, being St. Andrew's Day, the 

 ^-^ Anniversary Meeting of the Koyal Society was held in 

 their apartments at Burlington House. The .Auditors of the 

 Treasurer's accounts having read their report, and the Secretary 

 having read the list of Kellows elected and deceased since the 

 last anniver.sary, the President (Lord Lister) proceeded to 

 deliver the anniversary address. After the first part, containing 

 obituary notices of the deceased Fellows, it proceeded as 

 follows : — 



The business of the Society during the past year has been 

 fully dealt wiih in the Report of the Council'; and I have 

 little to add to that statement. On the death of Sylvester, it 

 occurred to some admirers of his great mathematical genius 

 that it would be well to create a permanent memorial of him in 

 connection with the Society by founding a medal to be called 

 after his name. The Council, though not disposed as a general 

 rule to add to the numerous distinctions of ihat character 

 already at their disposal, felt that this was an exceptional case, 

 1 This Report h.T. nul rc.ichtd us. 



NO. I 5 19, VOL. 59] 



partly on the ground of Sylvester's great distinction, and partly 

 because, while there are several specialised medals, there is 

 none devoted to the supremely important subject of pure 

 mathematics. They, therefore, expressed iheir grateful ap- 

 proval of the proposal ; and I have now to announce that the 

 fund raised for the purpose being closed, amounting to rather 

 more than 8S0/., a clear capital of 800/., together with the dies, 

 will shortly be transferred to ihe Society. The dies arc being 

 engraved after designs by Sir John Evans. 



The help given in this matter by our Trea-surer is but a small 

 sample of the multitude of services which he has rendered to 

 the Society during the past twenty years, in addition to the 

 discharge of his official duties. How well these have been 

 performed they only can know who, like myself, have served 

 with him in office. The debt which the Koyal Society owes to 

 Sir John Evans has been referred to by the Council in terms cf 

 high, though not exaggerated, eulogy. I cannot but add the 

 expression of my personal sense of the deep, I had almost . I 

 said the irreparable loss which the Society sustains by hU * 

 retirement. 1 



The question who should be recommended to your suffrages 

 as his successor has engaged the anxious deliberation of the 

 Council. As stated in the report, various considerations have 

 weighed with them. But I feel confident that, as time passes, 

 the wisdom of the decision arrived at will be universally 

 recognised. 



Sir George Hamilton has, I believe, done wisely in sending 

 out to India a British Commission, containing a majority of % 

 scientific experts, to inquire into the subject of the Plague ; and 1 

 I am glad that so distinguished a Fellow of the Society as Prof. 

 Fraser of Edinburgh has been able to accept the position of 

 Chairman. 



The recent sad occurrences at Vienna may suggest the fear 

 that our countrymen engaged in this duty, will be subjected to 

 grave danger. But the disease as it showed itself in \'ienna, 

 was of an entirely exceptional form ; and if we consider how 

 few of the medical men and nurses who have for a l<mg time 

 past been engaged in actual attendance on plague-stricken 

 patients, have fallen victims to the disease, we may dismiss 

 from our minds the idea of any serious risk to the commissioners. 



Their chief duties will, I believe, be to sift and report upon 

 the somewhat heterogeneous and scattered pieces of evidence 

 already published by various observers as to the nature and 

 modes of transmission of the complaint, and the best means of 

 dealing with it. One of the subjects which will engage their 

 attention will be the efficacy or otherwise of the preventive 

 injections of Monsieur Haffkine. On this question our Fellows 

 are likely to have an opportunity of judging for themselves ; 

 for Haflfkine him.-elf has agreed to come over to this country in 

 May, a time of the year at which his services in India can best 

 be spared, in order to bring his facts before us at one of the 

 " meetings for discussion." 



There is no subject in Biology of greater interest at the 

 present time, whether in a scientific or practical point of view, 

 than that of the "serum therapeutics" of infective diseases. 

 According to a recent report, which bears throughout the 

 characters of authenticity,' a great success in this direction has 

 been lately achieved. Mr. Chamberlain, \vho.se enlightened 

 action regarding malaria and allied disorders in Africa, has 

 been referred to in the Council's report, consulted the Royal 

 Society about two years ago as to the possibility of devising 

 some means of arresting the fearful ravages of rinderpest among 

 the cattle in the southern parts of that continent. The stamping- 

 out process by wholesale slaughter which, at great expense to 

 the country, formerly proved effectual in England, could not 

 be thought of in South Africa, whose vast regions are sparsely 

 populated, while buffaloes and other animals beyond human 

 control are able to contract and spread the disease. But could 

 nothing be done by modern scientific methods? The subject 

 appeared full of hope, because, as was shown long ago in this 

 country by Burdim-Sanderson, rinderpest resembles small-pox 

 in the fact that one attack, if recovered from, protects agamsl 

 a recurrence of the disease. 



Mr. Chamberlain was fortunate in securing, with the consent of 

 the German Government, the services of that distinguished 

 bacteriologist, Prof Koch. We rejoiced to read the reports of 

 his ma.sterly researches and of the brilliant results which he 

 obtained, promising to effect all that could be desired. The 



1 ^■;V/.■ " Rindtrpcst in South .Afric-i, " by John M.-\bcrly. The Laticcl, 

 Novemt»cr 5, i8q3. 



