628 
At Greenwich on October 31 
Sun rises, 6h. 54m. ; souths, 11h. 43m. 44°Is. ; sets, 16h. 34m. ; 
decl. on meridian, 14° 11’ S.: Sidereal Time at Sunset, 
1gh. 13m. 
Moon (at First Quarter on November 3) rises, 11h. gm. ; souths, 
15h. 35m. ; sets, 20h. om. ; decl. on meridian, 18° 56’ S. 
Planet Rises Souths Sets Decl. on meridian 
h. m. h. m h. m. a F 
Mercury 8 56 13,0 17 4 21 42S. 
Venus ... 6 3 II 14 16 25 ....aOmn7 S. 
Mars IO 44 14 32 18 20) <3. 24M, 
Jupiter... 5 14 1O.4I ... 16° 8 7) SSB 
Saturn .. 20 57* 4 SO c-s Qn ek 21 18N. 
* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening. 
Occultations of Stars by the Moon (visible at Greenwich) 
Corresponding 
angles from ver- 
Nov. Star Mag. Disap. Reap. ‘tex to Boh tfor 
inverted image 
h. m. h. m. B ° 
I... d@Sagittarii ... 5 ... 17 15 nearapproach 195 — 
Beebe 7ZO3 ume mOl meee y LONeyolONS2 56 285 
Noy. h. 
Bm. 523, Saturn stationary. 
Variable Stars 
Star R.A Decl. 
h om 5 h. m. 
U Cephei wee 10 15252)... 80 16 N.....) NOV. 3)meaueLO! 777 
A Tauri Ben eee U5 4c4u--- 2) ODN, 99 2, 2ZOD5 m2 
» 6,19 7m 
S Orionis cso GY cen eS se. oe M 
U Monocerotis ... 7 25°4... 9 32S eos M 
SiGeminorum)..) '7236%2)-2-/23) 43) Ns ee o5) Ss M 
WrOphiuchi...... 17 10:7... I 20UN. 25 4) SyeeST 77 
and at intervals of 20 8 
U Sagittaril... 1S) 25(:2),.. 19) \02)9« 0) NOVn) TemORmO! 772 
3 450n00 17 
B Lyre... 18 45°9 ... 33 14.N. ee ch. 2 Soeve 
n Aquilz 19 46°7 0 43N.... Oct. 31, 0 om 
S Cephei 21 36:6)... 78 (7 IN... Nove4s M 
5 Cephei ein 22y 24'0) 2-057) 5OPNie-an55 SSO 772 
M signifies maximum 3 77 minimum. 
Meteor Showers 
The 7Zaurids, radiant R.A. 60°, Decl. 18° N., continue 
through the present week. Slow bright meteors from a radiant 
near 6 Arietis, R.A. 45°, Decl. 22° N.; and meteors from a 
radiant in Cygnus, R.A. 348°, Decl. 52° N., are also seen at this 
NATURE 
season. Fireball dates: November 1 and 5. 
Stars with Remarkable Spectra 
Star R.A. 1886'0 Decl. 18860 Type of 
hm. s. } spectrum 
D.M. + 65° 369 3393) ce 05) ova e Nae Ill. 
54 Eridani 435027) 20 L953 57e) e Ill. 
4t Schjellerup... 4 39 2 67 579N. . IV. 
om@rionise. ied 446 4 14: §316UN. y III. 
D.M. + 6° 810 455939) =: 0) 20,0 Ne. 1006 
51 Schjellerup... 4 59 52 Tt istN. 10% 
GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 
THE October number of Petermann’s Mitteilungen begins 
with an article, with numerous maps, on the canal between the 
German Ocean and the Baltic, by Herr Beseke. It describes 
in detail the numerous early projects—sixteen in all—for the 
construction of a canal across the isthmus, and then the origin 
and progress of the project of a canal called far excellence the 
Imperial Canal. The last section of the paper deals with the 
influence of the canal on navigation, and its military and 
commercial advantages. But the most important paper in 
the number, and one of the most interesting that we have 
read for some time, is one on the changes wrought by man 
in the flora of Chili, by Dr. R. A. Philippi. Only the first 
part is published in the present number, These changes are 
enormous. ‘The traveller in Chili, says the writer, as he passes 
by the fields and gardens, can scarcely believe that he is in 
America, not in Europe, so greatly hes the native vegetation 
disappeared. The trees and plants of Europe, and only these 
(with the exception of the native potato), 
[Oct. 28, 1886 
near habitations. The original native flora has to be sought 
with care and system, and is to be found only miles away 
from cultivation and the abodes of men. In fact, the native 
vegetation is destroyed by that of Europe as effectually as the 
native himself disappears before the white man. Dr. Philippi 
treats first of timber-trees introduced from Europe or North 
America, then of fruit-trees, then cereals, roots which serve for 
fodder, industrial plants such as the hop, sugar-cane, &c., 
vegetables, and finally weeds. The last class owes its origin to 
ordinary cultivated plants running wild, and to seeds which 
have found their way to Chili in other seed. Herr Wichmann 
concludes with a short sketch of the Galla States to the south 
of Abyssinia, with an elaborate map showing the routes of 
ie and Chiarini in Southern Abyssinia between 1876 and 
1881. 
To the Bollettino of the Italian Geographical Society for 
September, Count L. dal Verme sends an account of an excursion 
to the new crater, which made its appearance during the recent 
eruption of Mount Etna, and which has been named Monte 
Gemmellaro, in honour of the distinguished geologist of Cata- 
nia. It lies 300 metres below Monte Nero, at an altitude of 1500 
metres above sea-level, and may now be approached without 
much risk from the side of Nicolosi, the route passing by the 
Convent of Monte S. Nicola (940 metres), and thence by Monte 
Gervasi and to the west of Albano Pinitello and other older but 
now quiescent cones. There is an alternative, but much more 
difficult and dangerous, route further east, running also from S, 
Nicola straight to the foot of Monte Albano, where the ex- 
plorer must dismount, whereas by the longer road he may ascend 
beyond Ca’ dei Cervi, close to the new crater, by a bridle-path 
easily accessible to mules. The cone appears to rise 140 metres 
above the old level, and has a diameter of about 200 with a 
depth of perhaps 40 metres, showing at the bottom two openings 
3 or 4 metres wide, ejecting a little vapour at short intervals, 
accompanied by a slight rumbling noise. There was a third 
aperture with a diameter of some 10 metres, which emitted 
such a continuous stream of vapour that it was impossible to 
form any idea of its depth. During the eruption, Gemmellaro 
appears to have ejected about 66,000,000 cubic metres of erup- 
tive matter, covering a space of 54 square kilometres on the 
flank of the mountain, and approaching close to the village of 
Nicolosi (709 metres), near the upper limit of the vine. During 
the eruption, which lasted twelve days, the vineyards of this 
district were wasted to the extent of some 20,000/. ; but scarcely 
any other loss was suffered by the inhabitants, not one of whom 
perished from the all-devouring stream of molten lava. 
THE same number of the Bod/ettino has an instructive paper 
by S. Raineri, on the rise and development of submarine tele- 
graphy from the first tentative experiments of Watson (1747) and 
Schilling (1812) to the last cable laid on the floor of the Atlantic 
between Valentia and New York. The historical labours and 
discoveries of West, Wheatstone, Newall, Brett, and other 
pioneers are briefly described, and a full account given of all the 
oceanic cables at present girdling the globe in all directions. 
The paper is accompanied by two comprehensive charts aid 
tables containing the names, dates, and lengths of all the lines 
completed down to the year 1885. 
From the Report of the Council of the Straits Branch of the 
Royal Asiatic Society for the past year, we learn that an 
entirely new map of the Malay Peninsula is now in course of 
preparation, and will shortly be sent to England for publication. 
Recent explorations in Pahang, and the work of surveyors in 
the service of the native States have added greatly to geo- 
graphical knowledge during the last few years, so that it has 
been found possible to make great improvements in the map of 
the Peninsula published for the Society in 1879 by Mr. Stan- 
ford. The Council further suggest as a subject worthy of the 
attention of the Colonial Government and of the Society, the 
preparation of an authorised Statistical Gazetteer, to which 
residents, students, travellers, and men of science may turn for 
authentic information regarding the Straits Settlements and the 
native States of the Malay Peninsula. Such a work, the 
Council thinks, should embody a full account of these regions, 
their inhabitants and productions, in the departments of geo- 
graphy, geology, ethnology, religion, manners and customs, 
history, arts, manufactures, agriculture, commerce, zoology, 
ornithology, ichthyology, &c., and should give a concise 
are found everywhere | account of every town and village of importance within these 
