NA ruRh 



{Jan. 2 1, 1886 



Variable-stars 



Star R.A Decl. 



h. m. , , h. m. 



U Cephei o 52-2 ... 81 16 N. ... Jan. 27, 23 21 in 



A Tauri 3 54-4 ... 12 10 N. ... „ 26, 4 21 ;« 



,, 29, 3 14 m 



5 Librce 14 54'9 ••• S 4 S. ... ,, 29, o 46 m 



U Corona: 15 136 ... 32 4 N. ... „ 26, 20 49 m 



U Ophiuchi ... 17 lO'S ... i 20 N. ... ,, 24, 11 42 in 

 and at intervals of 20 8 



S Cephei 22 24-9 ... 57 50 N. ... Jan. 28, 5 o in 



,, 29, 19 o A/ 



Meteor Showcis 

 One of the minor periodical showers with radiant at R.A. 

 •35°' I'ecl. 40° N., shows a maximum during the present week. 

 Occasionally large meteors are observed from this radiant. 

 Meteors from a radiant about R.A. 180°, Decl. 35' N., should 

 also be locked for. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



M. r>E WoGAN, who has been searching in a small canoe for 

 the true source of the Danube, communicates the result in a 

 recent Bulletin of the Paris Geographical Society (Nos. 19 and 

 20). The story that it takes its rise in the gardens of the Prince 

 of Fiirstenburg at Donaueschingen, where a monument record- 

 ing the fact is erected, is, he says, a fable. The Danube, he 

 has found, is formed by the union of two small streams, tlie 

 Brig, or Brigach, which takes its rise at Saint-Cieorges, to the 

 north of the Mountain Tryberg, at about a mile from the source 

 oftheNeckar, and the Breg, or Bregach, which rises at .St. 

 Martin, to the west of Tryberg, and twenty miles from Donau- 

 eschingen, where both streams unite. M. Wogan, who has ex- 

 jilored these streams and their tributaries, criticises and corrects 

 the statements of MM. Rcclus and Saint-Martin in their geo- 

 graphical works on this subject. M. Charles Rabot, in the 

 same Bulletin describes a journey made during the last autumn 

 in the peninsula of Kola, in Russian Lapland, a region which is 

 largely a blank on our maps. In August M. Rabot traversed 

 the peninsula twice, from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean 

 to the White Sea. He describes it as excessively monotonous, 

 covered by forests, M'ith many large lakes, or rather marshes. 

 On the eastern shore of Lake Imandra there is a range of moun- 

 tains, called Umbdek, which reaches an altitude of a thousand 

 metres, and which is the highest elevation in European Russia, 

 except the Caucasus. These are a picture of sav.age desolation. 

 He has come to the conclusion that the western part of Russian 

 Lapland is far from being flat, as generally represented on the 

 maps. Between the White Sea and the ocean there are three 

 ranges of mountains separated by large depressions covered 

 with forests, marshes, and lakes. ^L Rabot concludes with 

 some observations on the inhabitants — Russian Lapps and 

 Samoyedes. 



Mr. Cyril Haviland, of Sydney, in a letter in the Times, 

 points out how little is really known in a scientific sense, of 

 the islands of the Southern Pacific and of parts of the Australian 

 coasts. Eleven of Her Majesty's vessels are at present in 

 Sydney ; they cruise frequently in these seas, but, says Mr. 

 Haviland, no one is any the wiser. He thinks that these ships, 

 and others of the Royal Navy suited for the purpose, should, as 

 far as possible, be utilised by placing on board one or more 

 specialists in the various fields of science, with the appliances 

 necessai-y to enable them to prosecute their researches. He 

 says that had only one professed naturalist been borne on the 

 books of the Nelson or the Diomed during their stay on 

 the Australian station, much light might have been thrown on 

 many problems, for the seas and islands abound with undiscovered 

 species. The suggestion is certainly a good one, for there must 

 be many ocosions when good scientific work coiOd be done in 

 the vessels of our Navy without in the smallest degree interfering 

 with the object of the cruise or the discipline of the ship. How 

 much may be done in that way by an officer of scientific attain- 

 ments even in the midst of his professional work, is shown by 

 the instance of Dr. Guppy, whose numerous communications in 

 our own columns and elsewhere have made his name well known 

 in the world of science. 



Amongst the articles in the current number of the Proceeiiings 

 of the Royal Geographical Society is one by Mr. Ravenstein on 



bathy-hypsographical maps, with special reference to a combina- 

 tion of the Ordnance and Admiralty Maps. The leading fea- 

 tures of maps such as Mr. Ravenstein suggests are that all heights 

 and depths would be referred to one and the same datum-level ; 

 the features of the ground would be shown by means of hori- 

 zontal contours, which would enable the compiler to limit him- 

 self to the introduction of a comparatively small number of care- 

 fully-selected figures ; the intervals between the contours would 

 be tinted to bring out the relief of the ground ; the line along 

 which land and water meet at ordinary spring tides would be 

 marked ; the foreshore and all sand-banks which uncover would 

 be clearly indicated as on ordinaiy Admiralty Charts ; roads, 

 railways, and other features calculated to obscure the physical 

 features of the ground would be omitted. A physical outline 

 map of this character could be utilised for illustrating the hydro- 

 graphical, geological, and other features of the country. Another 

 important paper is Mr. Delmar Morgan's translation of the 

 notes of M. Kossiakof, the military topographer who accom- 

 panied Dr. Regel on his journey in 18S2 in Karateghin and 

 Darwaz, on the borders of Chinese Turkestan and Afghanistan. 



A LONG letter has just been received from Mr. H. O. Forbes, 

 who, it will be remembered, left England in the beginning of 

 last year, for the exploration of the interior of New Guinea. 

 Mr. Forbes arrived at Port Moresby on August 28 last, and on 

 .September 2 started for Sogere, in the interior, to prospect. He 

 Iiad a pleasant trip, saw the lie of the land, and the people — 

 taking to them and they to him — and returned to Port Moresby 

 to pick up his men and his baggage to start for the Owen Stanley 

 Range in true earnest. On October i Sogere was reached again. 

 Within a week houses were erected for Mr. Forbes, his white 

 companions, his men, and his stores ; and soon after everything 

 had been brought from Port Moresby and housed. Returning 

 to the Astrolabe Range with Mr. Hennessy, Mr. Forbes com- 

 pleted his survey. On his return to So^jere he found everything 

 in shape, and began work at once with the help of his com- 

 panions, collecting in the fine forest near the village, taking 

 observations, and laying plans for the future. Mr. l-orbes had 

 made up his mind that it would be impossible to accomplish the 

 ascent of the Owen Stanley Range this season, one of the results 

 of the delay caused by the loss of his baggage. In the end of 

 April, when the wet season is passing over, the attempt will be 

 made. He had sent his Malay servant, Lopez, to camp out in 

 search of a rare bird of paradise ; and it speaks well, he says, for 

 the quiet of the country that he can go off alone to a distant 

 village where his language is unknown. On his way to the 

 coast for supplies Mr. Forbes met Sir Peter .Scratchley, who 

 went on to Sogere with Mr. Forbes, and expressed himself 

 charmed with the house and the work already done, as well as 

 with the good relations established with the natives. Mr. Forbes 

 went back with Sir Peter Scratchley in order to accompany the 

 latter to the north coast and Huon Gulf Without additional 

 funds it is very doubtful if he will be able to accomplish all he 

 has planned. 



The current number of Dr. Umlauft's Kundsehau contains 

 an article on the geographical knowledge of the Alps in 

 early times, the present instalment dealing with the Roman 

 period. Other articles describe the Samoans and their customs ; 

 a cruise in the Straits of Magellan ; while Herr Gavazzi dis- 

 cusses the orography of "the Croatian Mesopotamia," as he 

 calls the district lying between the Drave and the Save. There 

 are also some interesting statistics relating to the populations of 

 German towns, schools in Finland, &c. , but the most generally 

 interesting of these are the statistics relative to the journeys of 

 the various travellers who have crossed Africa from time to time. 

 Dr. Livingstone crossed from St. Paul de Loanda to Quilimane, 

 a distance of about 4000 kilometres, in twenty months ; Com- 

 mander Cameron from Bagamoyo to Catombela, 6000 kilo- 

 metres, in thirty-two months ; Mr. Stanley from Bagamoyo to 

 Boma, 11,500 kilometres, in thirty-three months ; Major Serpa 

 Pinto from Benguela to Durban, 3700 kilometres, in sixteen 

 months ; Lieut. Weissmann from St. Paul de Loanda to Sadani, 

 4000 kilometres, in twenty-two months ; Mr. Arnot from Dur- 

 ban to Benguela, 3500 kilometres, in thirty-nine months ; 

 Messrs. Capello and Ivens from Mossamedes to Quilimane, 

 4500 kilometres, in fourteen months. If these figures be accu- 

 rate, it would appear that Mr. Stanley travelled more rapidly 

 than any of the others, although he is closely pushed by MM. 

 Capello and Ivens, for while his monthly average was about 

 349 kilometres, theirs was 321 ; but then his journey was about 

 two and a half times longer than theirs in distance. 



