Fuly 15, 1886 | 
NATURE 
247 
framed of the weather at all stations on any day of 1884, show- 
ing the quantity and nature of the rainfall, thunder, fog, dew, 
frost, transparency of the air, ‘‘sun-snake”’ (a phenomenon 
chiefly observed in the northern part of Sweden), aurora borealis, 
&c. Reports on the forming and breaking up of the ice have been 
received from fifty-eight stations, besides seventy-seven observa- 
tions of periodical features of animal and vegetable nature. 
THE Swedish Academy of Sciences has issued a work entitled 
‘©The Correspondence of Carl von Linnzus,” containing a 
record ofall the correspondents of this famous naturalist, Swedish 
as well as foreign, with their addresses, date of birth and 
death, &c., as well as the date of each letter to and from. 
THE first African city lighted by electricity was not Algiers or 
Cairo, but Kimberley, with forty-two Brush lamps, each of 2500 
candle-power. The current is also utilised there for the killing 
of dogs, a step suggesting the execution of death sentences by 
the same means, as proposed in America and in France by M. 
Charson, a member of the Senate. 
Mr, R. N. Cust, the Secretary to the Royal Asiatic Society, 
is engaged on a work on the languages of the tribes of Polynesia, 
including those of Australia. 
THE additions to the Zoological Society’s Gardens during the 
past week include a Squirrel Monkey (Chrysothrix sciurea 6 ) 
from Guiana, presented by Madam G. Sangiorgi; a Macaque 
Monkey (JZacacus cynomolgus ?) from India, presented by Mr. 
D. Evans ; a Rhesus Monkey (AZacacas rhesus 9 ) from India, 
presented by Capt. Pitman ; a Common Cormorant (Pha/acro- 
corax carbo), British, presented by Mr. O. Moulton Barrett ; 
two Golden Eagles (Aguila chrysaetus) from Scotland, a Lined 
Finch (Sfermophila lineola) from South America, deposited ; two 
Ostriches (Struthio camelus  ¢) from North Africa ; a Lear’s 
Macaw (Ava lear?) from South America ; a Lineolated Parra- 
keet (Bolborhynchus lineolatus) from Mexico, purchased; a 
Bennett’s Wallaby (Halmaturus bennctti ?), a Vulpine Pha- 
langer (Phalangisla vulpina 8), three Canadian Beavers (Castor 
canadensis), born in the Gardens. 
OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 
THE STRASBURG OBSERVATORY.—Herr W. Schur has pub- 
lished, in No. 2736 of the Astronomische Nachrichten, a supple- 
mentary report on the work done at the Strasburg Observatory 
during the ten months preceding May of this year, so as to 
exhibit the state of the instruments and of the computations 
relating to the observations made with them on the eve of his 
departure for Gottingen, where he has been appointed Director 
in the room of the late Prof. Klinkerfues. During the interval 
to which the report refers, Herr Schur was chiefly occupied with 
observations of the moon with the altazimuth and of comets 
with the great refractor, also with the examination of the micro- 
meter-screw of the latter instrument. The meridian-circle has 
chiefly been employed in the observation of southern stars— 
amongst others the eighty-three stars of Auwers’ Southern 
Fundamental Catalogue, and certain stars for investigating 
astronomical refractions. The direct and reflection observations 
to the end of the preceding year give for the geographical lati- 
tude of the meridian-circle, +48° 35’ 0’"11, which agrees well 
~ with a former determination with Repsold’s transit, using Horro- 
bow’s method, viz. +48° 35’ 0:23. In former reports Herr 
Schur has drawn attention to the discordance between the nadir 
points determined with observer north and observer south, 
which, for his observations, amounts to a considerable quantity ; 
in the mean, from a large number of observations, } (north— 
south) being as much as +0"'50. This large value agrees both 
in sign and in magnitude with the quantity determined from 
observations of zenith stars for similar positions of the observer, 
viz. o”°77, and Herr Schur concludes that his observed zenith 
distances of stars require a correction of about —o0”°6. In the 
_ case of the other Strasburg observers, the corresponding correc- 
tion is comparatively insignificant. Herr Schur’s successor at 
Strasburg is Dr. Kobold. 
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 
WEEK 1886 FULY 18-24 
(EOS 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 18 
Sun rises, 4h. 6m. ; souths, 12h. 5m. 56’5s.; sets, 20h. 6m. ; 
decl. on meridian, 21° 1’ N,: Sidereal Time at Sunset, 
15h. 52m. 
Moon (two days after Full) rises, 20h. 42m.* ; souths, th. 31m. ; 
sets, 6h. 27m, ; decl. on meridian, 14° 5’ S. 
Planet Rises Souths Sets Decl. on meridian 
h. m. m. h. m. a 7) 
Mercury 6 41 13 54 27) 13 21 N. 
Venus ... 1633 9 38 1743) «22 92 46"N- 
Wisetsihy.t.. scey LTS 16,48) 22 23/33, 6-1 | 3uS019= 
Jupiter... Io 9 TONS e222 fa ORS OR Ne 
Saturn... yay) De 15 kOees 22 20N, 
* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening. 
Occultations of Stars by the Moon (visible at Greenwich) 
Corresponding 
angles from ver- 
July Star Mag. Disap. Reap. tex to mekeion 
inverted image 
h. m. h. m. = oi 
19 ... € Aquarii... ... 54... 3 30 mearapproach 35 — 
19 ... el Aquarii... ... 6 ... 4 I near approach 220 — 
pies, Cette ec) seen 4u meee 5 Se o 24t ... 52 267 
+ Occurs on the following morning. 
July . 
19 10... Mercury at greatest elongation from the Sun, 
27° east. 
Variable Stars 
Star R.A. Decl. 
hee ms a oH h. m. 
U Cephei ... o 52:2... 81 16 N. ... July 18, 23 32 ” 
9» «623, 23 II mm 
R Piscium ... ... 1 248... 2 18N. ALES MT 
S Ursee Majoris ... 12 390... 61 43 N. ana M 
V Bootis MY PQ cen Sie) AB INI5 cos apg 225 MM 
WkCoroncee ... .-- U51G50 2.92) 4Ni aan 2) 22) 22) 778 
U Ophiuchi... ... 17 10°38... 1 20N.... ,, 22, 2 58 m 
oy 22 NaS) ON 72 
X Sagittarii... ... 17 40°4 ... 27 47 Se July 24, 2 o ML 
U Sagittarii... ... 18 25°2... 19 12S. An LCR ray’ 
S Vulpeculz LOPASsTpeee 27 OlNtn ss e4s me 
x Cygni : 10) 40:2)e 32030) Neen eS; m 
S Delphini ... ... 20 378... 16 q41 N.... ,, 22, M 
3Cephei ... ... 22 24°9...57 50N.... 5, 18, 21 30 7 
M signifies maximum ; 7 minimum. 
Meteor Showers 
Meteors begin to be somewhat numerous in the latter half of 
the present month. Amongst the radiants represented are the 
following :—Near 7 Andromedz, R.A. 10°, Decl. 38° N. ; near 
B Cassiopeie, R.A. 6°, Decl. 58° N. ; near 7 Draconis, Rk. A. 
245°, Decl. 64° N. ; near o Serpentis, R.A. 266°, Decl. 12° S. ; 
near a Cygni, R.A. 312°, Decl. 46° N.; from Lacerta, R.A. 
342°, Decl. go N.; and the great Perseid shower, maximum 
August 10, radiant R.A. 45°, Decl. 56° N., begins to furnish 
individual meteors about this time. 
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
AccorDINnG to the Colonies and India, the Secretary of the 
Victorian branch of the Geographical Society of Australasia has 
written to the Royal Society of Victoria asking the latter to 
appoint a committee to confer with that already appointed by 
the former Society on the question of sending an exploring ex- 
pedition to the Antarctic regions. It is urged that a conference 
should take place as soon as possible, and that various scientific 
associations should be invited to co-operate in sending out one 
or more expeditions. 
Tue latest news from the Chitral Mission is that Col. Lock- 
hart is returning to India from Zebah, in Badakshan, leaving 
Col. Woodthorpe in charge of the party. 
Ir is stated that Mr. A. R. Colquhoun, who is at present Civil 
Commissioner at Mogoung, in Upper Burmah, is about to start 
