Dec. 2, 1880] 



NATURE 



115 



at loh. 2m., ending of totil pha;e at loh, 4801., and last contact 

 with shadow at iih. 49m. 



A Probable Variable Star. — On November 25 Swift's 

 comet was compared with tlie star No. 4339 of Lalande, by Mr. 

 Talmage at Mr. Barclay's Observatory, Leyton, the magnitude 

 of the star being estimated 8, as it was also by Lalande. Arge- 

 lander, in the Durchmustcrung, gives it 6'4, and Heis made it 

 a naked-eye star (6'7), but errroneously identifies it with 

 Lalande 4359. It escaped observation in the Bonn Zones, and 

 may be worth occasional examination as likely to prove an addition 

 to our variable star li; t. 



Faye's Comet. — In tlie Bey'imy a'.sronomiscJics Jalnbuch 

 for 1SS2, Prof. Axel MoUer, of Lund, has given an ephemeris 

 of Faye's comet extending to the end of March next. On 

 comparing the theoretical intensity of li;4ht appended to the 

 ephemeris with that corresponding to particular epochs in other 

 appearances, it will be found that there is a probabilily of 

 observing the comet for some weeks from this tine without 

 difficulty if the larger instruments be employed. Thus at the 

 beginning of January the calculated degree of brightness is more 

 than twice that appertaining to the dates when the comet was 

 first and last observed with the Northumberland telescope at 

 Cambridge, during the return of 1850-51, and the geocentric 

 position is favourable for observation ; a monlli later the 

 intensity of light is still equal to that at the time of the first 

 observation with the Copenhagen refractor in 1S65, and even at 

 the close of Prof. Axel-MoUer's ephemeris it is equal to that at 

 the first and last Cambridge observations above alluded to ; the 

 comet's place, h nvever, will then be drawing into the evening 

 twilight. We have already {remarked that the magnitude of 

 the planetary perturbations of the comet's motion during the 

 revolution 1873-1SS1 is greater than in any other revolution 

 since the comet's discovery in 1843, ^^^d the success which has 

 again attended his prediction of its apparent track in the 

 heavens must have excited the admiration of tho-;e who have 

 any experience or knonledge of such investigations, and the 

 immense amount of skilled application involved in them. 



Swift's Comet. — The following elements depend upon Mr. 

 Chandler's observation on October 25, one at Strassburg on 

 November 9, and a third at Mr. J. G. Barclay's Observatory, 

 Leyton, on November 25 : — ■ 



Perihelion passage iSSo, November S'369i Greenwich M.T. 



Longitude of perihelion 



, , ascending node 



Inclination 



Log. perihelion distance 



Motion — direct. 



42 15-2 



294 46 6 



7 21-3 



o"04i8S 



The close resemblance to the orbit of the third comet of 1869, it 

 will be seen, is maintained. The elements give these positions 

 for Greenwich midnight : — 



UXIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE 

 Oxford.— No further regulations have been issued by the 

 University Commissioners for the Professoriate. Opinion is 

 much divided in the LTniver.dty itself^s to the operation of the 

 new rules. There have been several memorials to the Commis- 

 sioners got up, some prayin:; that no alterations be made, otiiers 

 approving the new Councils of the Faculties. There seems to be 

 a general feeling against, insisting on the professors examining 

 their classes every term, and agiinst making attendance at their 

 lectures compulsory. The Councils of Faculties are regarded by 

 many with favour as a rneans of bringing the tutors and lecturers 

 of the various colleges who are engaged in teaching the same 

 branch of learning into closer relationship, and enabling them 

 better to divide the work among them. 



At Bnlliol College an extra tcholar.-hip on tlie Erakenbury 

 Foundation has been awarded to Mr. A. D. Hall of Manchester 

 Grammar School, for Natural Science. 



A MEETING of the Convocation of Victoria University was 

 held at Owens College, Manche>,ter, on Friday, Dr. Green- 

 wood presiding. A resolution was received from the Associates 

 of the College expressing their gratification at the creation of 

 the Univer.-ity, and pledging theni-tlves to perform their part in 

 maintaining the welfare, dignity, and fame of the Univerdty, 

 and promoting its objects. Standing orders for the regulation 

 of the proceedings of Convocation were adopted, and the Rev. 

 C. J. Poynting was appointed clerk. 



The recently-presented budget of Prussia shows that, despite 

 the financial straits of the kingdom, no considerations of eco- 

 nomy are nllowed to hamper the growth of its scientific and 

 educational sy.nem. First on the list come the nine universities 

 with an allotment of 7,050,000 marks (352,500/.). Berlin re- 

 ceives the lion's share, 1,378,348 marks, an increase of about 

 37,000 marks on its last annual subvention. Bonn and Koni<Ts- 

 berg each have 740,000 marks, Breslau 600,000, Kiel 404,000. 

 Marburg and llalle each 430,000, Gottingen 201,000, and 

 Greifswald 136,000. Of the above-mentioned mm about 

 1,306,000 marks are appropriated for exiraordinary expenses in 

 connection with the cL'n^truction of university buildings, and of 

 this amount Berlin ab.sorbs over one- half, viz., 766,000 marks. 

 The other chief items in the Budget of Public Instruction are : 

 Gymnasia and Real-chulen, 5,000,000 marks ; primary schools, 

 14,500,000 ; orphanages, schools for the blind, deaf and dumb, 

 &c., 300,000 ; technical schools, and for the general furtherance 

 of science and art, 3,000,000 marks. 



The number of pupils of Lycees and Colleges in the French 

 Republic is 87,000 (46,500 for Lycees and 40,500 for Colleges). 

 Last year it was only 84,700. These establishments may be 

 considered as analogous to the English grammar-schools. 



SCIENTIFIC SERIALS 



yoiirnal of Use Franklin Instiiuie, November. — The metric 

 system : is it wi?e to introduce it into our machine-shops ? by C. 

 Sellers — The weakening of steam boilers by cutting holes in the 

 shell for domes and necks, by W. B. Le Van, — Observations in 

 Biazil, by W. M. Roberts. 



Rivisla Scitntifico-Industriale, October 31. — Resume of solar 

 observations at Palermo Observatory in the third quarter of 

 18S0, by Prof. Ricco. — Experimental researches on the action of 

 light on transpiration of plants, by Dr. Comes. — Dynamometric 

 break with circulation of water, by Prof. Ricco. 



Jotii-nal lie Physique, November. — On the combination of 

 phosphuretted hydrogen with hydrochloric acid, by M. Ogier. — 

 An amplifying barometer, by M. Debrun. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 London 



Linnean Society, November 18. — Robt. McLachlan, F.R.S., 

 in the chair. — Dr. Geo. E. Dobson exhibited a remarkable para- 

 sitic worm from the intestine of ]\Iegadenna frons, from the Gold 

 Coast. It appear.-: allied to Pleryi^odcrmatiles plagiostoma, Wedl, 

 from the Long eared Hedgehog, though on first hasty examina- 

 tion he (Dr. Dolison) had been disposed to regard it as a new 

 genus, Mclahdella. Dr. McDonald further drew attention to its 

 peculiar anatomical structure and relationships. Dr. Cobbold 

 agreed to the importance of the observations as verifying previous 

 discoveries, » ith addition of novel structural details. He con- 

 sidered the worm as identical with the Ophiosloinum of Rudolphi 

 and Willemoes Suhm, with Fteiygodermaiitis of Wedl, and with 

 Rictularia of Froelich, and he regarded it as an aberrant member 

 of the Ophiostomidae, whereas Wedl thought it came nearest the 

 Cheiracanthidea. — Dr. Cobbold also exhibited specimens cf 

 Disloma ci-assum, Busk (previously in l875shown to the Society), 

 from a Chinese missionary who, on return to China with his wife 

 and daughter, were again all attacked by the parasite, and obliged 

 to retm-n to England. — A paper was read on a proliferous condi- 

 tion of Vei-lrascum nigrum, by the Rev. G. Henslow. The 

 upper part was very diffuse with leafy axes produced from the 

 centres of the flowers, while the lower part had flowers with very 

 large ovaries adherent within to arrested proliferous branches. 

 These differences may be attributed to the general tendency of 



