Oct. 14, 1S80] 



NATURE 



569 



The names aud nationality of these two unfortunate travellers 

 have not been aSL-ertained yet, according to our contemporary. 



From a Japan paper we learn that at the Botanical Garden in 

 Aichi ken, an Indian tea-plant, has been planted as an experiment. 

 The leaves have lately been gathered and treated in the same 

 manner as the Uji tea, and it has been found that the product of 

 dried tea is greater in proportion to the quantity of leaves used 

 than in the case of Japanese plants. Tea-growers are, in conse- 

 quence, said to be devoting their attention to the new plant. 



The additions to the Zoological .Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Plantain Squirrel {Sciitrus platilani) from 

 Java, a Smooth Snake (Coroiiella hcvis) from Hampshire, pre- 

 sented by Mr. D. Tober ; a Tlantain Squirrel {Sciurus plaiitani) 

 from Java, presented by Mrs. Elliot; a Common Spoonbill 

 (PlataUa Uiicorodia], European, presented by Mr. W. H. St. 

 Quintin ; a Common Kestrel ( Tinnitnculus alaiidarius), European, 

 presented by Mr. J. Young; two Central American Agoutis 

 {Dasyprocta isthmica) from Central America, aV.ariable Squirrel 

 {Sciiirus variabilis), a Common Boa {Boa cons/rictor) from South 

 America, two West African Pythons {Python seliw) from West 

 Africa, a European Pond Tortoise {Emys europaus), European, 

 two Glass Snakes (Pseitdopus pallasi), a Lacertine Snake (Co;lo- 

 peltis lacertiua], a Common Snake {Tropidonotus nalrix — far.). 

 South European, deposited ; a Eraser's Squirrel (Sciurus stra- 

 milieus) from Ecuador, a Ring-tailed Coati {Nasua rufa), a 

 Cayenne Lapwing ( Vanellus cayennensis) from South America, 

 three Californian Quails {Callipepla califovnica), purchased ; two 

 Gayals {Bibos frontalis) from Assam, two Sumatran Porcupines 

 (Hyitrix longieauda) from Sumatra, an Indian Crocodile {Croeo- 

 dilus palnstris) from India, received in exchange. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN 

 Martwig's Comet. — Prof. Winnecke, in a circular issued 

 from Strassburg on October 5, expresses the opinion that it is 

 highly probable the comet discovered by Dr. Hartuig on 

 September 29 was observed in the year 1 506, and at his request 

 Dr. Hartwig has submitted the point to calculation, using the 

 first approximation to the orbit which we gave last week. 

 Laugier computed elements of the comet of 1506, from the 

 rough accounts left by European chroniclers and one in tlie 

 Chinese annals, but his ])laces were necessarily very arbitrarily 

 fixed in this case, as may be seen on referring to his communica- 

 tion presented to the Academy of Sciences at Paris on January 

 26, 1S46. It has not been consequently from any striking 

 similarity between the orbits that Prof. Winnecke has been led 

 to conjecture the identity of the comets, but rather, it would 

 appear, from a general resemblance of track, allowance being 

 made for the somewhat later appearance in the year of the comet 

 of 18S0. The Chinese observations do certainly in some cases 

 enable us to make reliable approximations to the orbits of comets, 

 as, for instance, in 568 and 1337 ; indeed for the latter comet 

 they furnish a remarkably good outline of its apparent path, 

 considering the difficulties which in many cases attend the inter- 

 pretation of the Chinese accounts : nevertheless for the great 

 majority of comets recorded in their annals the descriptions are 

 unfortunately totally insufficient for this purpose, one very 

 common failing being the omission of dates correspoiding to 

 the positions given, as for the comet of A.D. 178, which must 

 have passed very near the earth from the long track it described 

 in the heavens. 



As regards European observations of the comet of 1506, 

 Pingre tells us (on the authority of the Chronicles which, accord- 

 ing to his excellent custom, are named in his margins), that a 

 comet was seen in the month of August in the north, or between 

 the north and east, or lastly between the west and north, and as 

 the comet was not distant from the Pole, so that it appeared in 

 the evening after sunset, and in the morning before sunrise, it 

 may have had at different hours of the night the various positions 

 mentioned by the historians. It had a long and bright tail 

 which extended "between the fore and hind- wheels of the 

 chariot." On August 8 a Polish historian, an eye-witness, 

 says it was seen near the Pole above ",the seven stars or the 

 stars of the great chariot ; " on the following night it was 



situated amongst the same stars, and later, on several nights, it 

 was seen below them ; declining by the signs Cancer, Leo, and 

 Virgo, it attained the northern part of the horizon and dis- 

 appeared on August 14. Some writers limit its appearance to 

 eight days ; others say it was visible for three weeks, or even a 

 month. 



With respect to Chinese observations, Pingre quotes from 

 Gaubil's minuscript, of which he made so much use, which was 

 preserved in the Depot de la Marine at Paris in his time, but 

 since understood to be lost, and from Mailla and Couplet. We 

 have now the fuller translations by Biot and Williams. We 

 read that in the first year of the epoch Ching Tih, in the reign 

 of Woo Tsung, on the day Ke Chow of the 7th moon (1506, 

 July 31), a star was seen to the west without the boundary of Tsze 

 Wei (the circle of perpetual apparition). . . . After some days 

 it had a short tail. It was seen between the sidereal divisions 

 Tsan (determined by 5 Ononis) and Tsing (by ij. Geminorum), 

 the Chinese sidereal divisions, it must be remembered, being 

 intervals of right ascension with wide limits of declination 

 reckoned from the determining star of the division, which we 

 have here taken from Biot. It gradually lengthened, extending 

 in a north-westerly direction towards or to Wan Cliang (6, v, 

 (p Ursa: Majoris). On August 10 it was bright, and moved to 

 the south-east, it lengthened to about 5° and swept the upper of 

 the stars Ilea Tae (c, |, Ursx Majoris), and entered wilhm' the 

 space Tae Wei Yuen (Biot's Thai-lVei), a space between stars in 

 Leo and Virgo, to which, as also to Tsze Wei, the circle of 

 perpetual apparition mentioned above, constant reference is 

 made in the Chinese cometaiy observations. For the limits ot 

 this space Williams may be consulted. Biot and he substan- 

 tially agi-ee in their translations. Dr. Hartwig assumes the peri- 

 helion passage in 1506 to have occurred on July I, old style, 

 and with the elements of 18S0 finds a track of which it is 

 remarked, "Die Uebereinstimmung des so gefuiidenfen Laufes mit 

 dem virklich beobachteten ist eine vollstiindige." The track is 

 thus given : — 



R.A. Decl. I R-A- Decl. 



Aug. iS ... 

 28 ... 



250'I 



258-1 



+ 54-5 



37'o 



July 19 ... 97"i ■■■ +393 



29 ... 1066 ... 61-3 



Aug. 8 ... 201-9 ••■ 77'9 



We should incline to characterise the presumed identity of the 

 comets of 1506 and 1S80 as one rather of possibility than of 

 high probability. , 



From observations at Strassburg on September 29 and 

 October i, and one at Leipzic on October 3, Mr. Hind has 

 deduced the following elements :- 



Perihelion passage, September 6-9182 G.M.T. 



81 I 37 

 44 19 47 

 38 28 II 

 9-558048 



App. Eq. 

 Oct. I. 



Longitude of perihelion 



,, ascending node 



Inclination of orbit 



Logarithm of perihelion distance .. 

 Motion — retrograde. 



As ret^ards position the comet may be observed for many 

 weeks but the brightness will be rapidly declining. Since it 

 was not detected till three weeks after perihelion passage, it is 

 desirable that observations should be contumed as long as 

 practicable, if the character of the orbit is to be decided at 

 this appearance. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



The newly-published volume of the Geographical Society's 

 'Journal contains some useful and even valuable contributions to 

 geography. The veteran traveller, Capt. R. F. Burton, fur- 

 nishes a memoir respecting the new map of Midian constructed 

 by the officers of the Egyptian General Staff. Capt. burton 

 however, as might be expected, supplies geagraphical informa- 

 tion beyond that given by the Egyptian officers. He also con- 

 tributes a second paper of a different character on the subject of 

 a visit to Lissa and Pelagosa. Even more valuable than Capt. 

 Burton's first paper is Lieut. R. C. Temple's account of the 

 country traversed by the second column of the Tal-Cho lali 

 field-force in the spring of 1879, with his sketch-map of part of 

 the country passed over by it between Cand.ihar and India. 

 This memoir has evidently been drawn up with elaborate care, 

 and embodies a mass of important information. The notes upon 

 some astronomical observations made in Kordofan and Dartur 



