March II, i8S6] 



NA TURE 



451 



and Herr Homann considers that the velocity of translation may 

 be taken as not greatly differing from 30 kilometres a second. 

 The results from Dr. Muggins's and Mr. Seabroke's measures 

 are as follows : — 



Observer Velocity of Tr.insl.-uion Ape.x of Solar Motion 



Iluggins ... 48'5 ± 23-1 ... R.A. 309'S, Decl. 697 N. 



Seabroke ... 245 ± IS'S ... R.A. 278-8, Deck 13 6 N. 



These results all dififer very considerably from those obtained 

 by Struve, Airy, Galloway, and others, from a consideration of 

 the proper motions of stars as observed with the telescope, i.e. 

 in a direction at right angles to the line of sight, the most 

 probable mean value of the co-ordinates of the apex from all these 

 discussions being about R.A. 260°, Decl. 35° N., whilst Struve 

 found the velocity of translation to be about 7 kilometres per 

 second. This speed was, however, based upon the assumption 

 that the average annual parallax of stars of the first magnitude is 

 about o"'25, and it should be borne in mind that Airy obtained 

 {Mem. R.A.S., vol. x.xviii. p. 161) from the discu^sion of 113 

 stars with large proper motions a speed of translation nearly 

 six times as large as that of Struve. Plummer also (Mem. 

 R.A.S., vol. xlvii. p. 341), from a rediscussion of Gallo- 

 way's data, found for the co-ordinales of the apex R.A. 276° 8', 

 and Decl. 26° 31' N., a result which differs considerably from 

 the earlier ones above referred to, and in the direction of greater 

 accordance with those obtained by the spectroscopic method. 

 It may, however, be doubted whether the spectroscopic results 

 are yet ripe for satisfactory discussion ; the preliminary inves- 

 tigation undertaken by Plummer some time ago gave distinctly 

 disappointing results, and, so recently as last May, Maunder 

 {Ol'serva/ory, vol. viii. p. 165) stated that but "some fifty 

 stars in all had been observed a sufficient number of times for 

 us to be able to deduce their speed to the nearest ten miles 

 per second." He considered, however, that the results, so far 

 as they went, "indicated a motion towards a Aquarii rather 

 than towards any point in Hercules." This would agree well 

 with Herr Homann's calculations in R.A., but not in Decl. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 



WEEK 1SS6 MARCH 14-20 



/'pOR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 



^ Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 



is here employed. ) 



Ai Greenwich ou J\ljre/i 14 

 Sun rises, 6h. 17m. ; souths, I2h. gn. I9'25. ; sets, i8h. Im. ; 

 decl. on meridian, 2° 26' S. : Sidereal Time at Sunset, 

 5h. 30m. 

 Moon (one day after First Quarter) rises, iih. 20m.; souths, 

 I9h. 14m. ; sets, 3h. 6m.* ; decl. on meridian, 18° 14' N. 



Pla 



Rii 



Souths 



Sets 



De. 



1 meridJE 



. 0, 



March 



cultatioiis of Stars by the Moon (visible at Greenwich) 



Corresponding 

 c-.._ »T.- i^:.._ u.._ angles from ver- 



14 

 '5 



iS 



20 



March 



15 ■ 



B.A.C. 1930 

 I Cancri ... 

 37 Sextantis 

 B.A.C. 4043 



40 

 22 15 

 17 25 



1 38 



1 28 

 23 12 

 18 17 



2 34 



152 279 

 70 327 

 II 240 



119 239 



Mercury at least distance from the Sun. 

 Sun in equator. 



Jupiter in conjunction with and 0° 13' north 

 of the Moon. 



GEOGRAPHICAL EDUCA TION AND 

 NATURAL SCIENCE -" 

 /^NE of my claims to address you on the subject of geo- 

 ^-^ graphical education is that I have been a traveller. In my 

 opinion nothing can better bring home to the mind the value of 

 good geographical instruction, or make more keenly felt the 

 disadvantages of the lack of it, than a scientific journey round 

 the world. It is natm-ally the scientific side of geography 

 which interests me most ; and it is on the importance and pro- 

 spects of physical geography as a subject of education that I 

 have now to speak. 



To the naturalist a knowledge of physical geography is be- 

 coming yearly more and more essential. The geographical 

 distribution of plants and animals is one of the most important 

 and fascinating of all the branches of his subject, presenting an 

 immense field for research, full of problems of the utmost in- 

 terest. Such probleins can only be approached, with hope of 

 success in elucidating them, with a clear comprehension of the 

 principles of physical geography, and a power of entering into 

 the utmost details whenever required. The distribution of 

 organisms, and often their very forms and existence, are the 

 result of the relative positions of the various climatic and other 

 physical barriers on the earth's surface. On the land surfaces, 

 where these barriers present most sharply-defined and serious 

 obstacles to migration, the complexity of the distribution of the 

 terrestrial fauna and flora is most remarkable. On the shores, 

 where the barriers are less complete, the isolation and geogra- 

 phical restriction of the littoral fauna and flora is less developed. 

 Whilst in the ocean, with no absolute land-barriers, the pelagic 

 fauna shows little more than a distribution of animal and vege- 

 table forms, according to climatic zones. In the depths of the 

 ocean, which the eiifects of climate do not reach, the distribu- 

 tion of the animal inhabitants almost approaches universality. 



It is, however, scarcely necessary to insist on the especial 

 importance of the study of physical geography as one of the 

 bases required for the .scientific pursuit of zoology ; and I am 

 sure no one will be more ready than my friend Sir Joseph 

 Hooker, to whom our knowledge of the geographical distribu- 

 lion of plants, and its meaning, is so largely due, to testify to 

 its immense importance in the case of botany. It is obvious 

 that it is equally indispensable in the cases of geology, astro- 

 nomy, and meteorology. 



Far more important is the question. Ought not physical geo- 

 graphy to form part of every liberal education, as being a subject 

 specially adapted for purposes of general learning, and as the 

 only true basis on which can be founded a knowledge of what 

 is. termed political geography? Political geography may be re- 

 garded to some extent as the geographical distribution of man- 

 kind ; and its various features of importance — its boundaries, its 

 lines of migration and commerce, its cities and battle-fields — 

 have their positions determined by the physical conditions and 

 conformation of the earth's surface, as much as in the case of 

 the distribution of the lower organisms. 



In Germany and Austria, and many other parts of Europe, 

 the necessity of physical geography as a subject of general 

 education and of higher Uni\'ersily study seems to be thoroughly 

 accepted. There can be little doubt that it is an excellent sub- 

 ject of general education. I have become more and more con- 

 vinced of this from my own experience as an examiner in the 

 subject, and especially when examining for the Public School 

 medals of this Society. 



' Abstract of Lecture by Prof. H. N. Moseley, F.R.S., at the Royal 

 Geographical Society's E.xhibition of Geographical Appliances, Sir Joseph 

 Hooker, K.C.S.I., V.P.R.S., in the chair. 



