Dec. 6, 1883] 



NA TURE 



>35 



Chinese lioops in the foreign settlement at Canton, and five 

 foreign and about a dozen Chinese gunboats in the river opposite 

 to it : all these for the protection of the foreign residents and their 

 property. The missionaries have left the country districts, and 

 do not expect to be able to return for many months. These 

 things will prevent any botanical work being done in China for 

 some time. I hope something may be done in Formosa in the 

 beginning of next year." 



Large use is made at the Forth Bridge Works of electricity 

 for lighting purposes. At Soutli Queensferry the workshops are 

 it up by sixteen arc lights, supplemented by a certain numbei" 

 of movable small incandescent lights. Outside twelve large arc 

 lights serve to illuminate the various lines of rails and the ap- 

 proaches to the ^^•orkshops. The offices, canteen, and other 

 buildings are lighted throughout with Swan incandescent lights 

 of 20-candIe power, over 2co being there alone required for the 

 purpose. The staging, which, beginning near the Hawe's Pier, 

 extends for nearly half a mile into the Firth, has, with its 

 appro.aches, twelve large lights devoted to its illumination. On 

 the island of Inch Garvie in mid channel, four large arc lights 

 are in use outside, and small incandescent lights in the offices and 

 workshops, in the old castle, and in the neighbouring buildings. 

 At North Queensferry .•■ix large arc lights serve for the outside 

 illumination, and a number of incandescent lights for that of the 

 interior of the offices and workshops. Nowhere is a dangerous 

 degree of electric pressure allowed; and in all interiors, work- 

 shoj'S, or operations under water the limit is but little more than 

 one-half of that permitted by the Board of Trade in their pro- 

 visional orders for dwellings in tovvns. 



The mathematical magazine conducted under the name of the 

 Analyst for the past ten j ears, by Mr. J. E. Hendricks, will, we 

 learn from Science, be continued under the editorial charge of 

 Ormond Stone, Professor of Astronomy, and William M. 

 Thornton, Professor of Engineering, with the title. Annals of 

 Mathematics, Pure and Applied. The numbers will be issued at 

 intervals of two months, beginning February i, 1884. In scope 

 the journal will embrace the development of new and important 

 theories of mathematics, pure and applied ; the solution of useful 

 and interesting problems ; the history and bibliography of various 

 branches of mathematics ; and critical examinations and reviews 

 of important treatises and text-books on mathematical subjects. 

 The office of publication will be at the University of Virginia. 



Dr. Holub has left England on his expedition to the interior 

 of Africa. He leaves for this journey of a year accompanied by 

 his wife and eleven good servants, including a carpenter, a 

 waggonmaker, a blacksmith, a gunmaker, a tailor, and a butcher, 

 besides his black ser\'aiit-girl and a dog. In South Africa he 

 will increase his staff by nineteen, and afterwards in Central 

 Africa by forty more black servants. 



It is reported from the Storelvdal, a valley in Central Norway, 

 between 61° and 62° N. !at., that the snow during the night of 

 November 17 became covered wiih a gray and black layer of 

 dust. No scientific investigation of Ihe phenomenon has as yet 

 been effected. 



The report of the death of Julius Payer, the discoverer with 

 Weyprecht of Franz Josef Land, is, we are glad to say, without 

 any foundation. 



The Annual Report for 1882-83 of the Liverpool Geological 

 Association reports favourably, we are glad to see, on the position 

 and work of that society. 



The Report of the Smithsonian Institution for 1881 shows 

 how admirably that many-sided organisation continues to carry 

 on its invaluable work. The museum in its various departments 

 is constantly increasing ; the library will soon be almost without 



a rival ; while a successful chemical laboratory has been added 

 to the other resources of the institute. The appendix, containing 

 as it does a record of progress in all departments of science by 

 specialists, is of great utility ; while the special papers on 

 anthropology continue to be a well-known feature of the Report. 

 The Report, like the Institution, reflects the greatest credit on 

 its secretary. Prof. Spencer Baird. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Moorhen (Gallinule chlorofus), British, 

 presented by Mr. T. E. Gunn ; two Common Wolves {Canis 

 lupus 6 9), European, a Dufresne's Amazon (Chrysotis da- 

 fresniana) from South-East Brazil; a Bell's Cinixys (Cinixys 

 belliana) from West Africa, two Carp (Cypri/tus caipio) from 

 British fresh waters, purchased ; an Indian Gazelle (Gazella 

 bennelti), born in the Gardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 



Variable Stars. — The following are Greenwich times of 

 geocentric minima of Algol, during the first quarter of 1884 : 

 the later observations of Prof. Juhus Schmidt have been brought 

 to bear upon the predictions. 



Jan. 



March 13 ... 15 



19 



28 

 9 17 



According to Mr. Knott's observations of U Cephei, 18S1- 

 1SS3, a minimum is indicated on January 5 at I5h. 21m. 

 G.M.T., the period being 2d. 2oh. 48-9m. The ephemeris 

 published in the Vierleljahrsschrifi gives it ih. lom. earlier ; but 

 it is not stated upon what elements this re-ts. 



Minima of S Cancri occur on December 31 at 8h. 41m., 

 January 19 at ^\\. 57m., February 7 at 7h. 12m., and February 

 26at 6h. 28m. G.M.T. 



The fine variable R Leonis will be due at maximum on 

 February 23, and Mira Ceti on March II. 



The First Comet of 179S. — A recalculation of the 

 elements of the orbit of this comet, made by Mr. Hind from 

 Messier's observations on April 12, 13, 14, May i, 2, 3, and 

 May 20, 21, 22, as they are given in Zach's Allgcmcine Geo- 

 grafliische Ephemeriden, vols. i. and ii., does not lead to any 

 suspicion of ellipticity, which is ra'her confirmatory of the view 

 taken by Dr. Harzer as to its non-identity with the greatly per- 

 turbed comet of Brorsen (1846 III) to which reference was lately 

 made in Nature. The new orbit is as follows : — 



Perihelion passage 1798, April 4'5I482 Paris M.T. 



Longitude of perihelion loj S 43 ) Mean 



,, ascending node 122 7 22 [ Equinox 



Inclination 43 48 i ) i798'o 



Log. perihelion distance 9'6857689 



Motion — direct. 



The error in longitude for the second normal is - 19" ; the 

 latitudes agree. 



The Great Comet of 1882. — We do not hear that this 

 comet has been recognised since its conjunction with the sun. 

 As was pointed out in this column, it was just possible that it 

 might have been re-observed as the earth somewhat overtook it 

 in its orbit, between the beginning of September and the end of 

 last month. On November 30 the disiance was at a minimum 

 of 5 '708, and is once more on the increase. 



The comet was seen at the Observatory of Cordoba until 

 June I ; the last complete observation for position was made 

 there on May 26, when the distance from the earth was 5'048. 

 There is no parallel to this in the whole history of cometary 

 astronomy, except in the case of the very exceptional comet 

 which was observed in 1729 and 1730 ; at the time of Cassini's 

 last observation this body was distant from the earth S'I3S. 



Between the first accurate observation at the Royal Observa- 

 tory, Cape of Good Hope, on September 7, 1882, and the 

 Cordoba observation above referred to on May 26, 1883, the 



