April 21, 1887] 



NATURE 



585 



the Academy of Sciences, was followed by another, made 

 by M. Flourcns, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. 



They certainly manage these things better in France ! 

 Fancy a scientific meeting at Greenwich Observatory, 

 addressed by the head of the English Foreign Office ! 



What M. Flourens said had better be given in his own 

 words : — 



Messieurs, — 



I'ai I'honneur de vous souhaiter la bienvenue au nom 

 de la France, qui vous oft're ici sa cordiale hospitalito. 



Je me felicite que cette mission me soit echue de vous 

 complimenter au nom du gouvernenicnt de la R^publique, 

 de vous remercier d'avoir accepte les invitations qui vous 

 ont 6\.6 adressces par I'eminent et sympathique directeur 

 de notre Observatoire. 



C'est une grande oeuvre que celle que vous allez entre- 

 prendre, et, grace aux lumieres que vous nous apportez de 

 tous les points du globe, mener a bonne fin. Dans la 

 poursuite de cette ceuvre, vous aurez, je n'en doute pas, 

 I'appui de tous les gouvernements, qui sont animes 

 aujourd'hui d'une noble emulation pour le developpement 

 de la science. En tout cas, le concours du gouvernement 

 de la R^publique frangaise, au nom de laquelle j'ai I'hon- 

 neur de parler, vous est des a prifsent acquis. 



Vous allez, dans une f^conde et cordiale entente, jeter 

 les bases de I'execution d'une carte du ciel dont la pre- 

 cision depassera de beaucoup non seulement tout ce que 

 Ton avait realise, niais encore tout ce que Ton avait ose 

 rever jusqu'a ce jour. Par une merveilleuse application 

 de la photographie, de cet art si riche en rcsultats impre- 

 vus, vous allez diriger I'ceil humain dans des profondeurs 

 oil, a I'aide des plus puissants telescopes, on n'avait pas 

 cru possible de le faire penetrer. Le nombre des etoiles 

 inconnues jusqu'ici, dont I'existence sera ainsi rdvelde, est 

 incalculable. 



Ce sera pour votre nom, messieurs, une gloire ^ternelle 

 d'avoir apporte' votre pr^cieuse collaboration h. I'inaugura- 

 tion de cette grande entreprise, et le jour de I'ouverture 

 de ce congres marquera dans les annales de la science 

 humaine. 



Une fere nouvelle s'ouvre pour I'astronomie physique 

 comme pour I'astronomie mathematique, qui vont avoir 

 a leur disposition un moyen d'investigation, de controle, 

 de precision qui etendra dans une proportion indefinie la 

 fdcondite de leurs recherches. Vous allez ccrire la 

 premiere page authentique des transformations et des 

 modifications de la matiere cosmique, c'est-k-dire 1' histoire 

 de I'univers lui-meme. 



Je voudrais complimenter, par leurs noms et par leurs 

 oeuvres, chacun des savants illustres qui sont r^unis dans 

 cette enceinte. Mais j'abuserais des precieux et trop 

 courts instants de notre reunion. Nos botes trouveront 

 bon que je les honore tous en la personne de leur doyen, 

 de I'illustre M. Struve, dont le nom est si sympathique a 

 la France et dont on fetait naguere le vingt-cinquieme 

 anniversaire comme directeur du ctflebre observatoire de 

 Poulkova. 



Agreez, messieurs, avec mes voeux les plus sincferes 

 pour la r^ussite de vos efl'orts, la nouvelle assurance du 

 concours du gouvernement de la R^publique. 



Prof. O. von Struve replied to this address in a short 

 and impressive speech, and the Conference proceeded to 

 elect officers. 



Admiral Mouchez, the Director of the Observatory, 

 was elected Honorary President, and Prof. O. von Struve 

 Acting President. As Vice-Presidents, Messrs. Auwers, 

 Christie, and Fizeau were elected ; as Secretaries, 

 Messrs. Tisserand and Bakhuyzen, assisted by Dun^r 

 and Tripled. 



The Conference then proceeded to pass the following 

 resolutions : — 



(i) The progress realised in astronomical photography 

 renders it absolutely necessary that the astronomers of the 



present century should undertake a conjoint photographic 

 record of the heavens. 



(2) This work shall be undertaken at certain stations to 

 be selected, and with instruments identical in all essential 

 points. 



(3) The principal objects sought to be attained shall 

 be: — 



{a) To record the general state of the heavens at the 

 present time by obtaining data which will enable us to 

 determine the position and brilliancy of all the stars down 

 to a certain magnitude, to be hereafter agreed on, with 

 the greatest precision possible ; the magnitudes to be 

 expressed according to some photographic standard to be 

 hereafter determined. 



ip) To fix upon the best means to utilise at the present 

 time the various data furnished by photographic processes. 



After these resolutions were passed, the Conference 

 proceeded to appoint a Committee of nineteen members 

 to consider the kind of instrument to be employed, and 

 the lowest magnitude of star it will be necessary to 

 register. The Committee appointed consists of the fol- 

 lowing astronomers : — MM. Auwers, Bakhuyzen, Christie, 

 Common, Dun^r, Fizeau, Gill, Paul Henry, Janssen, 

 Kapteyn, Lcewy, Rayet, Roberts, Peters, O. von Struve, 

 Tacchini, Thiele, ^'ogel, and Weiss. When this Com- 

 mittee has brought up its Report, the other questions will 

 be considered by a number of Sections, to be appointed 

 to consider and report upon them to the Conference. 



Hospitality is not lacking to make the labours of the 

 Conference as light as possible. Admiral Mouchez, who 

 gave a soiire on the evening of the 19th, gives a banquet 

 on the 24th. The astronomers are to be received by the 

 President of the Republic, and also at the Thcfatre 

 Frangais by the members of the Institute, on Saturday. 

 There is also to be a ball at the Hotel Continental, given 

 by Le Comite des Amis de Science. 



We warmly congratulate French men of science upon 

 the magnificent results obtained by their countrymen 

 the Brothers Henry, which have been among the causes 

 that have brought the Conference together. If all goes 

 well, the work of the Conference will niar'.i an epoch in 

 the history of astronomy. 



HOMERIC ASTRONOMY 

 L 



THE Homeric ideas regarding the heavenly bodies 

 were of the simplest description. They stood, in 

 fact, very much on the same level with those entertained 

 by the North American Indians, when first brought into 

 European contact. What knowledge there was in them 

 was of that " broken " kind which (in Bacon's phrase) is 

 made up of wonder. Fragments of observation had not 

 even begun to be pieced in one with the other, and so 

 fitted, ill or well, into a whole. In other words, there was 

 no faintest dawning of a celestial science. 



But surely, it may be urged, a poet is not bound to be 

 an astronomer. Why should it be assumed that the author 

 (or authors) of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" possessed 

 information co-extensive on all points with that of his 

 fellow-countrymen? His profession was not science, but 

 song. The argument, however, implies a reflecting back- 

 ward of the present upon the past. Among unsophisti- 

 cated peoples, specialists, unless in the matter of drugs or 

 spells, do not exist. The scanty stock of gathered know- 

 ledge is held, it might be said, in common. The property 

 of one is the property of all. 



More especially of the poet. His power over his 

 hearers depends upon his presenting vividly what they 

 already perceive dimly. It was part of the poetical faculty 

 of the Ithacan bard Phemius that he " knew the works of 

 gods and men " (" Od.," i. 338). His special function was 

 to render them famous by his song. What he had heard 



