Fuly 1, 1886] 
in the last days of December 1885—December 19, 5°86 m. ; 
December 20, 5°76 m. ; December 30, 6'00. Profs. Glasenapp 
and Pritchard both found it considerably fainter than the 6th at 
this time, the former giving it as 6°7m. on December 30, the 
latter 6°42 m. on December 28. Profs. Miiller and Pritchard 
give closely accordant results for the middle of January 1886, the 
magnitude being about 6°8 m , whilst Prof. Glasenapp and Mr. 
Gore found it about 74 m. at the same time. Profs. Pritchard 
and Miller disagree a little later on, and differ by a full magni- 
tude at the end of February and beginning of March, the former 
regarding the star as about the 7th magnitude, the latter about 
the 8th, whilst MM. Glasenapp and Gore consider it as nearly 
the 9th. There is a better agreement amongst three of the ob- 
servers as to the range of magnitude through which the star has 
passed ; Dr. Miiller and Mr. Gore, agreeing in giving 2°4 m, for 
the change from about December 20 to March 8, and Prof. 
Glasenapp finding nearly the same value, but Prof. Pritchard, on 
the other hand, only finds a change in the same period of about 
seven-tenths of a magnitude, 
Io SAGITT&.—Mr. Espin, in Circular No. 5 of the Liverpool 
Astronomical Society, gives the interval from maximum to 
minimum for this star as 4'4d.; maxima for July, 1°6d., 
g‘9d., 18°3d., 266d. ; minima, 6*1d., 14°4d., 22°7d., 31 ‘od. 
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 
WEEK 1886 FUL Y 4-10 
| [BNO the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 
Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 
is here employed. ) 
At Greenwich on Fuly 4 
Sun rises, 3h. 52m. ; souths, 12h. 4m. 6°4s.; sets, 20h. 16m. ; 
decl. on meridian, 22° 53’ N.: Sidereal Time at Sunset, 
15h. 7m. 
Moon (three days after New) rises, 7h. 7m. ; souths, 14h. 36m. ; 
sets, 21h. 53m.; decl. on meridian, 13° 19’ N. 
Planet Rises Souths Sets Decl. on meridian 
h. m. h. m. h. m. 5 ; 
Mercury BAZ) -:. IGNSOh ten (27/36 20 33 N. 
Venus... pS Ors 0h 2AG-s ely) 12) a ceLORICE NG 
Mars . Se Reece M7ilOm see: 0) 2355. 
Jupiter... TOMS Sie) 17, Osean 23 019 1 44.N. 
Saturn... SY 3) Goon, | WA 2 eo eh ot 22 30 N. 
July h. 
4 2 Saturn in conjunction with the Sun. 
7 7 Jupiter in conjunction with and 0° 33’ south 
of the Moon. 
Vimies-) U3 Mars in conjunction with and 2° 1’ south 
of the Moon. 
Variable Stars 
Star R.A Decl. 
h om oy h. m. 
U Cephei 0152 -2)...o0 TON... July) 45) ‘Omgsuaz 
” 9, O13 m 
Algol ... sor} CR CO SPOR fy Gp HOw! 
R Bootis SL SOA cos yp IN bas pq teh M 
5 Libree TAMSACOV cannon (ANSs cn) a5, LO 22eAOure 
U Corone ... EES USsOL cS 2 AMIN eecie ys) MON 265 7a77e 
ewmitenculisis.. :.. 16 40:7 7. 15S Nj. 5, 45 m 
R Ophiuchi ... aM 182 ree ONS eb co. eb MM 
WeOpniuchi-.. <.. 17 10:8... 120°N.... 5, 7, © 401% 
Menapittari... ... 07 40°4....27°47'S. .. 5, 10, 2 of 
B Lyre... TSH 45 96-2139) LAWN) 58 On 2 UeSORI ce 
M signifies maximum ; # minimum. 
NATIONAL SMOKE ABATEMENT 
INSTITUTION } 
DURING the year the interest in the subject of smoke 
prevention and in improved apparatus for the consumption 
of fuel has been steadily increasing, and the gradual extension of 
knowledge on the subject has led the general public to take a 
much more intelligent and active interest in the question of 
smoke abatement, which was at first considered by the great 
majority of the community to be almost a sentimental evil rather 
than a matter entering into the calculation and care of ordinary 
* Report of Conncil of the National Smoke Abatement Institution, sub- 
mitted at the ordinary general meeting, December 18, 1885. 
NATURE 
203 
life. The Council regret, however, to note that the Annual 
Report of the Commissioner of Police, issued in August last, is 
strangely deficient with regard to information as to the operation 
of the Metropolitan Smoke Abatement Acts, which are admin- 
istered by the police; and the Council thought it their duty to 
write to the Zzmes and other daily papers, calling attention to 
this want of information in the Report, and also to the very 
anomalous character of the fines inflicted in the case of convic- 
tions ; they also laid the matter before the Home Secretary, 
calling special attention to the following facts— 
(1) That in numerous cases of nuisance which are reported by 
the police no proceedings are taken. 
(2) That when proceedings are instituted, and convictions 
obtained, the penalties inflicted by the magistrates do not comply 
with the Acts of 1853-56, the average fine being below the legal 
minimum. 
(3) That no proceedings whatever appear to be taken to 
enforce the abatement of smoke from steamers, &c., on the River 
Thames, although an enormous quantity of smoke is evolved by 
them, causing a very serious nuisance, not only in the waterside 
districts, but by polluting the general atmosphere of the 
metropolis. 
(4) That such great development has taken place during the 
last few years in the methods of preventing smoke from the 
works falling under the provisions of the statutes, that they may 
be more rigidly enforced without hardship. 
(5) That the area within which the Smoke Abatement Acts 
apply no longer corresponds with the area within which smoke is 
produced. 
The Council vere supported in thus calling the attention of 
the Home Secretary to the matter, by the fact that the Annual 
Report of the Commissioner of Police for the preceding year 
(1883) remarks strongly on the inadequacy of the fines, and 
states that, ‘* The fact of recent changes in heating systems hav- 
ing brought about some very considerable commercial advantages 
of various kinds, has operated in a marked degree in mitigating 
hostility to the enforcement of the Acts.” 
The Council have also, through the medium of the Press, 
called attention to the fact that the London School Board are 
neglecting a public duty and losing a valuable opportunity of 
instructing the public, by having the large buildings recently 
erected for schools fitted up with heating apparatus without due 
regard to their smoke-consuming capabilites. : 
They have also endeavoured to influence public opinion by 
bringing under notice pledges which appear to have been given 
by some Parliamentary candidates, that they would endeavour 
to exempt bakers from the operation of the Smoke Abatement 
Acts, this pledge having been obtained by certain bakers who 
wished to maintain the use of a particular class of furnaces 
which ordinarily produce a large amount of smoke. It is 
scarcely necessary to point out that the exemption of bakers 
from the operation of the Smoke Nuisance Acts would be 
prejudicial to the public interest, as it is a fact that smoke can 
be and is in some bakeries entirely prevented, not only to the 
advantage of the public, but also to that of the men who work 
in the bakeries. The Parliamentary candidates themselves were 
also communicated with upon the subject. 
The unreasonablene:s of the suggestion that bakers should be 
exempt from the provicions of the Smoke Acts is the more 
noticeable from the fact that the Commissioner of Police, in his 
Annual Report for 1883, alluding to the general improvement 
of heating methods, says : ‘‘ The most important changes perhaps 
have been made in the case of bakers’ and confectioners’ oven 
furnaces, which have hitherto caused, and still continue to cause, 
the greatest number of offences charged under the Smoke Acts. 
Some of them are now adapted bya simple alteration, which can 
be made without stoppage of the daily trade, to the use of 
gaseous fuel (ordinary coal gas mixed with atmospheric air), 
instead of coal; while other ovens are heated by coke applied 
either directly to the purpose, or by steam, which is generated 
in pipes heated by means of coke-fired furnaces.” 
It may be added that the Council have had before them an 
offer from a good firm of oven builders, siating that they are pre- 
pared to fit up fifty bakers’ ovens at half price, to prove the 
practical working of one system rendering such ovens entirely 
smokeless. ; 
In various trades, notably baking confectionery, tile and 
porcelain burning, glass staining, japanning, Xc., considerable 
advantages, in addition to the prevention of smoke, have been 
found to result from the use of coal gas instead of solid fuel for 
