Feb. 28, 1S84] 



NATURE 



415 



The death is announced of Dr. Gotthilf Heinr. Ludw. Hagen. 

 with who^e name for the last sixty years progress in the domain 

 of hydrotechnics in Germany is closely associated. He died at 

 Berlin on the 3rd inst., having nearly completed his eighty- 

 seventh yeai". 



The death is announced of Dr. A. Bernstein, the well-known 

 author of the " Naturwissenschaftliche Volksbiicher." He was 

 born at Danzig in 1812, and died at Berlin on the 12th insl. 



On February iS an earthquake was felt in several parts of the 

 Department of Algiers. Its duration .was very short. The 

 Turkestan Gazdlfe states that as many as ninety distinct shocks of 

 earthquake have been felt at Oosh since November 14. Other 

 shocks have also recently occurred at Viernoe and Tashkend. A 

 violent earthquake is also reported from the Birvari district (pro- 

 vince of Bitli.'!, on Lake Van, in i^ sialic Turkey) on February 10. 

 Great damage was done, as many houses fell. 



Mr. W. W'hitaker desires us to point out in reference to the 

 article on the "Geological Sui-vey of the United Kingdom," 

 printed in the last number of Nature (p. 395), that some of 

 the bulkiest publications of the Survey have appeared since 1855. 

 He favours us with a list of these, in which we are glad to 

 observe his own " London Basin, pp. xii. 620." 



In consequence of a generally expressed wish from many 

 hundreds of intending participators at the forthcoming Ornitho- 

 logical Congress at Vienna, the Committee of the Congress has 

 a tered the date for the first meeting from April 16 to April 7. 

 As the Ornithological Exhibition will be held from April 4 to 

 April 14, the ornithologists present ia Vienna at that time will 

 have an opportunity of seeing the Exhibition, while at the same 

 time attending the Congress. Numerous Belgian, Danish, 

 French, German, Austrian, Italian, and Russian men of science 

 will meet in Vienna upon that occasion. 



The German Government has issued an edict concerning the 

 preservation of prehistoric burial-mounds whicli may be dis- 

 covered henceforth upon German soil. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Bonnet Monkey [Macacus sinicus 6 ) from 

 India, presented by Mr. W. Graeme; a Sambur Deer {Ceniis 

 aristotdis i ) from Ceylon, a European Flamingo ( Pluenicoplerus 

 antiquorum) from Southern Europe, presented by Mr. James 

 McGregor ; a Vulpine Phalanger {Phalangisla vulpina i ) from 

 Australia, presented by Mr. A. H. Lowder ; a Pine Marten 

 {Mustela marUs), British, presented by Mr. Edward de Staftbrd ; 

 a Common Hare (Lepus eui-of<riis), British, presented by Mr. G. 

 Pettier; a Rhesus Monkey [Macacus r/usus) from India, pre- 

 sented by Master A. J. Neill ; two Laughing Kingfishers {Dacelo 

 gigantea) from Australia, presented by Dr. Evans ; a Black- 

 footed Penguin {Spheniscus dcmcrsus) from South Africa, pre- 

 sented by Mr. F. Bloor ; a Greek Tortoise (Tdstudo gnvca), 

 European, presented by Miss M. L. Fergusson ; a Stump-tailed 

 Lizard {Trachydosaurus rttgosus) from New Holland, a Bearded 

 Lizard [Amphiboliirtis barbatus) from Australia, presented by 

 Mr. J. W. Bostock ; a Pike (Esox lucius) from British fresh 

 waters, presented by Mr. Charles D. Hoblyn, F.Z.S. ; a Lesser 

 White-nosed Monkey (Cerccpithcciis petaurista ? ), a Campbell's 

 Monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli 9 ) from West Africa, a Kuddy 

 Ichneumon {Herpcstcs smithi) from India, a Bactrian Camel 

 {Catnelus baclriims i) from Central Asia, three White-crowned 

 Pigeons (Coiiiiiilm leucocephalus) from the West Indies, purchased. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 The Solar Eclipse of 1806, December 10. — When 

 Riimker was on the point of leaving England to undertake the 

 direction of the observatory erected by Sir Thomas Brisbane at 

 Paramatta, N. S.W., he came into possession of a letter addressed 

 to Maskelyne by Admiral Bligb, Governor of the colony, con- 



taining observations of a solar eclipse on December 10, 1806, 

 which was described as almost total ; the observations were 

 made at Government House, Sydney Cove, with a three-feet 

 achromatic and two chronometers by Arnold ; Kumker commu- 

 nicated the Admiral's letter to Zach, who published it in vol. v. 

 of his " Correspondance Astronomique," with the places of the 

 sun and moon from Delambre and Burckhardt, and the longitude 

 of Sydney Cove, which he had deduced from Bligh's observa- 

 tions. Employing Burckhardt's Lunar Tables and the last Solar 

 Tables of Carlini the elements of this eclipse will be found to be 

 approxima tely as follows : — 

 G.M.T. of conjunction in R.A. 1806, Dec. 9 at I4h. 19m. 14s. 



The eclipse was therefore an annular one : it was central and 

 annular with the sun on the meridiin in longitude 143° 23' E. 

 and latitude 32° 23' S. Admiral Bligh's position was not 

 within the annular phase, but un making a direct calculation for 

 it, we find the greatest eclipse at oh. 41m. p.m. local mean time, 

 magnitude 092. Perhaps this is the first eclipse that was 

 astronomically observed at Sydney, and it may be noted in 

 connection with Mr. Russell's historical account of the progress 

 of astronomy at that place, of which we gave some account last 

 week. 



The late Prof. Klinkerfues. — Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm 

 Klinkerfues was born at Hofgeismar in Hesse, on March 29, 

 1827. lie was attached to the Observatory of Gottingen as 

 assistant in 1 85 1, under Gauss ; he became provisional director 

 of that establishment in 1859, and in i868 was confirmed in that 

 appointment. Since 1863 he was one of the professors in the 

 Philosophical Faculty at Gottingen. He was an able practical 

 and theoretical astronomer, and discovered the comets 1853 III., 

 1854 I., 1854 HI., 1854 IV., 1S55 II., and 1857 V.; the first 

 of these, which bore his name very generally while under, 

 observation, was telescopically observed in full sunshine, and 

 only a few degrees from the sun's place by Mr. Hartnup at 

 Liverpool, and by Schmidt at Athens. In i860 Klinkerfues 

 proceeded to CuUera in Spain for the observation of the total 

 solar eclip-e in July. His work in theoretical astronomy in- 

 cluded a method of determining the orbits of the binary stars, 

 and he was the author of a valuable theoretical treatise on the 

 science. When, on the occurrence of the great meteor shower 

 of November 27, 1872, it was found that the meteors followed 

 the track of Biela's comet, and the comet itself was supposed 

 to be close to the earth on that day, Klinkerfues thought it 

 might be found opposite the radiant of the meteors in 

 Andromeda, and accordingly telegraphed to Mr. Pogson at 

 Madras to this effect, " Biela touched earth November 27, search 

 near 6 Centauti." It will be remembered that, in consequence 

 of this telegram from Klinkerfues, Mr. Pogson actually detected 

 a comet in the vicinity, but was only able to obtain its place on 

 two mornings ; so that the orbit could not be determined. There 

 was a divided opinion at the time as to its connection with 

 Biela, and perhaps this may now be said to be more than doulit- 

 ful, notwithstanding the singular circumstances attending its dis- 

 covery. Klinkerfues died suddenly at the Observatory of 

 Gottingen on January 28. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

 Mr. II. H.Johnston leaves London to-morrow for Zanzibar, 

 to conduct an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro. The expenses 

 of the expedition are borne by the Royal Society and the 

 British Association, the object being to form as large a col- 

 lection as possible of the flora and fauna of the highest 

 mountain in Africa. 



Another attempt will be made this year to rescue the United 

 States observing party in Lady Franklin Bay, under Lieut. 

 Greeley. This party, twenty-five in all, went out in August 1881 



