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leaving one set for the Royal Society. A paper embodying the 
positions and areas of the sun-groups observed at Kew during the 
years 1864, (865, and 1866, as well as fortnightly values of the 
spotted solar area from 1832 to 1868, has been communicated to 
the Royal Society by Messrs. Warren.De La Rue, Stewart, and 
Loewy. This paper is in course of publication in the ‘‘ Philo- 
sophical Transactions,” and will shortly be distributed. A table 
exhibiting the number of sun-spots recorded at Kew during the 
year 1869, after the manner of Hofrath Schwabe, has been com- 
municated to the Astronomical Society, and published in their 
monthly notices. M. Otto Struve, director of the Imperial 
Observatory at Pulkowa, visited England in the month of August 
last. He brought with him, for the Kew Observatory, some 
sun-pictures made at Wilna with the photoheliograph, which, it 
will be recollected was made some yearsago, under the direction 
of Mr. De La Rue, by Mr. Dallmeyer. This instrument com- 
bines several importent improvements on the original Kew 
model, the value of which is forcibly brought out in the superior 
definition of the Wilna sun-pictures. As, however, the series of 
the ten-yearly record at Kew was commenced with the instru- 
ment as originally constructed, it was not deemed desirable to 
alter it in any way until the series had been completed and re- 
duced, and the corrections for optical distortion ascertained and 
applied. In the event of the sun-work being continued after 
1872, it will be desirable to do so with a new and improved 
heliograph. M, O. Struve proposed to exchange the complete 
series of pictures obtained at Wilna for that madeat Kew. He 
also stated that it is contemplated to erect a second heliograph at 
the Central Observatory at Pulkowa. 
4. Miscellaneous Work.—A few experiments have been made 
on the rotation of adise 7 vacuo. by an arrangement devised 
by Mr. Beckley, a very perfect carbonic-acid vacuum has been 
obtained, the residual pressure being 0°02 inch as indicated by a 
mercurial gauge with 2 contracted tube, but it was believed that 
the vacuum was even more perfect. A disc of paper and one of 
ebonite gave very sensible heat effects in such a vacuum, and it 
was hoped that the experiments might have been satisfactorily 
completed ; but while they were in progress the pressure of the 
outer atmosphere sha‘tered the receiver into a number of pieces, 
fortunately without any injury to the experimenters. Another 
receiver has now been made, and it is purposed in future to use 
it witha cover. A transit instrument has been lent to Mr. G. J. 
Symons, and one sextant has been verified. 
(B) Work DONE AT KEW AS THE CENTRAL OBSERVATORY 
OF THE METEOROLOGICAL COMMITTEE. 
It is stated in the report for 1867 that the Meteorological Com- 
mittee had appointed Mr. Balfour Stewart as their secretary, on 
the understanding that he should, with the concurrence ot the 
Kew Committee, retain his office of Superintendent of the Kew 
Observatory. On the 8th October, 1869, Mr. Stewart resigned 
his appointment as Secretary to the Meteorological Committee 
and Director of their Central Observatory—a step which took 
effect on the 31st of March, 1870, and which was followed by a 
modification o! the relation between the two committees. The 
Meteorological Committee, at their meeting on 12th November, 
1869, resolved that they were prepared to make the tollowing 
proposals to the Council of the British Associa ion :— 
I. That Kew be continued as one of the ordinary self-recording 
observatories, in which case the committee would be prepared to 
aliot to it annually 250/. ; or, 
II. In addition to the foregoing work, that Kew be maintained 
_as the central observatory for examination of records and tabula- 
‘tions from all the other observatories, in which case the com- 
mittee will be prepared to allot a further annual sum of 400/. 
The Kew Committee, having been furnished with thi; resolution 
of the Meteorological Committee, resolved that it be recom- 
mended to the Council of the British Association that Kew be 
continued for the next two years as one of the ordinary self- 
recording observatories of the Meteorological Committee, that 
body allowing it annually 250/.; and that, in addition, it be 
maintained as the central observatory for the examination of the 
records and tabulations from all the other observatories, for the 
further sum of 400/. perannum. This arrangement was approved 
~ by the council ; and it was thereupon resolved by the Kew Com- 
mittee, that out of the 650/. received from the Meteorological 
Committee, 200/. be given to Mr. Stewart for superintending the 
meteorological work of the Observatory, this resolution to take 
effect after 31st March, 1870. 
1. Work done at Kew as one of the Observatories of the Meteoro- 
NATURE 

57 
logical Committee.—The barograph, thermograph, and anemo 
graph tunished by the Meteorological Committee are kept in 
constant operation. Mr. Baker is in charge of these instruments. 
From the first two instruments traces in duplicate are obtained, 
one set being sent to the Meteorological Office and one retained 
at Kew ; as regards the anemograph, the original records are 
sent, while a copy by hand of these on tracing-paper is retained. 
The tabulations irom the curves of the Kew instrument are made 
by Messrs. Baker, Page, and Foster. 
2. Verification of Records.—Vhe system of checks devised by 
the Kew Committee for testing the accuracy of the observations 
made at the different observatories continues to be followed, the 
only alteration being that the Kew staff, at the suggestion of the 
Meteorological Office, have undertaken to rule on the barograms 
and thermograms a set of zero lines, which are of great use in 
pantagraphic operations. Mr. Rigby continues to perform the 
main part of this work; Mr. Baker, Meteorological Assistant, 
having the general superintendence of the department. 
3. Occastonal Assistance.—The Meteorological Committee 
have availed themselves of the permission to have the occasional 
services of Mr. Beckley, Mechanical Assistant at Kew ; and he has 
lately been visiting the various observatories of the Meteorological 
Committee. The self-recording rain-gauge mentioned in last 
report as having been devised by Mr. Beckley has been adopted 
by the Meteorological Committee, and instruments of this kind 
are at present being construcied for their various observatories, 
The staff at Kew continue to make occasional absolute hygro- 
metrical observations by means of Regnault’s instrument, with 
the view of testing the accuracy of the method of deducing the 
dew-point {rom the observations with the dry and wet bulb ther- 
mometers. Two erections have been made in the grounds 
adjoining the Observatory, and on one of these a large Robin- 
son’s anemometer is placed, while a small instrument of the same 
kind is placed on the other. By this means the indications of 
the large and those of the small-sized instrument may be com- 
pared with each other. The cost of this experiment has been 
defrayed by the Meteorological Committee. 
J. P. Gasstor, Chairman 
Kew Observatory, Sept. 9, 1870 




SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 
THE November number of the Geological Magazine (No. 77) 
opens with an arucle by the editor, Mr. H. Woodward, on 
Fossil Crustacea from various formations. The species described 
and figured by the author are Scy//aridia bellit from the London 
clay of Sheppey, and Puleya carter? from the lower chalk. One 
of the most important papers in the number is on the coal-bearing 
rocks of Southern Chile by MM. Lebour and Mundle. The coal 
appears to be only a kind of lignite ; itis found in beds of tertiary 
age. Mr. Lucy contributes a paper on the Post-pliocene Dritt of 
Charnwood Forest; Mr. H. F. Hall, a note on the Glacial and 
Post-glacial deposits in the neighbourhood of Llandudno ; Mr, 
L. C. Miall, a paper on the formation of swallow-holes in moun- 
tain limestone; and Mr. E. Wilson, a notice of some altered 
clay-beds and sections in Tideswell Dale, Derbyshire. The 
remainder of the number is occupied as usual by reviews, notices, 
and miscellaneous matter. 
THE October number of the American Naturalist (vol. iv., 
No. 8) is chiefly devoted to Geological and Archeological sub- 
jects. it opens with an address on recent advances in Geology, 
delivered by Mr. J. H. Foster to the American Association for 
the Advancement of Science, and contains also a paper on the 
Primitive Vegetation of the Earth by Dr. J. W. Dawson, and a 
note on Indian Stone Implements by Mr. J. H. Gregory. The 
only other paper is a short note on bud-variations in the colour of 
the flowers in Zi//:um and Wisteria. This number also contains 
an interesting illustrated report of the nineteenth meeting of the 
American Association, including a valuable paper by Dr. A. S. 
Packard, jun., on the embryology of Limulus polyphemus ; and 
another, by Prof. E. D. Cope, on the Structural Characteristics 
of the Cranium in the Lower Vertebrata. 
Proceedings and Communications of the Essex Institutee—The 
first part of volume vi. was publshed in the spring of this 
year. Of four papers given in it, three relate to entomological 
subjects; these are descriptions (with figures) of numerous 
species of ants from Mexico, by Mr. Edward Norton ; an ex- 
cellent monograph of the Phalangea (Harvest Spiders) of the 
United States, by Dr. Horatio C. Wood, also illustrated; and 
an important notice of insects inhabiting salt water, by Dr, A, 
