264 . RéePoRT—1905. 
the other, diametrically opposite, is not near any bright star. They have 
been represented by the letter V in fig. 2. They lie almost exactly in the 
central line of the Milky Way. Adopting Gould’s co-ordinates of the 
pole of this belt, I find the galactic latitude to be two degrees. 
I will pass over the other quantities involved, but will only mention 
that the way in which I conducted the solution points to the conclusion 
that all the stars, without exception, belong to one of the two streams. 
To my regret I must pass over also the detailed comparison of theory 
and observation, because the detailed determination of the distribution 
of the proper motions from the data of our solution is such a laborious 
question that I have not yet made it, and would rather defer it till the 
real existence of the streams shall have been tested by other observations 
presently to be considered. I will only state that by this provisional 
solution the tofal amount of dissymmetry for our twenty-eight regions is 
reduced for the « components as well as for the y components to about 
a third of their amount in the hypothesis of random distribution of the 
directions. Moreover, they have lost their systematic character. 
The observations alluded to as a test of the theory are those of the 
radial velocities. 
T suspect that the materials for a crucial test of the whole theory by 
means of these radial velocities are even now on hand in the ledgers of 
American astronomers—alas ! not yet in published form. 
It is this fact which long restrained me from publishing anything 
about these systematic motions, which, in the main, have been known to 
me for three years. 
If I do not hesitate to publish them now it is in the hope of eliciting 
such spectroscopic data, without which a further development of the theory 
had perhaps better come to a standstill. 
If these spectroscopic observations confirm the theory we may safely go 
on. If they do not, they will undoubtedly help to find the true explana- 
tion of the dissymmetries summarised in such figures as those of fig. 2 and 
in our table, the real existence of which is demonstrated beyond a doubt. 
Further labour devoted to a false theory would be thrown away. 
In the meanwhile it seems well worth the trouble to see what evidence 
can already be got on the question even from the scanty materials which 
have become public property. 
Unfortunately we here meet with some difficulties, which singularly 
diminish the value of any conclusions that might otherwise still have 
considerable weight. 
First, we have to exclude a relatively large number, which, probably 
or certainly, do not give a fair idea of the whole. As such I consider the 
stars only observed because of their excessive astronomical proper motion, 
or selected from a larger list on account of exceptionally large velocity. 
Further, exclude the Orion stars which seem to be nearly at rest in 
space ; their relation to the system must be somewhat exceptional. 
There remain 78 stars. I have added 46 spectroscopic binaries, though 
the true velocity of their centres of gravity has been determined only in 
a few cases. I was mostly compelled to adopt as such the mean of the 
greatest and smallest of observed velocities. 
Small though the collection be, it still offers one formidable difficulty. 
Great part of it belongs to the very brightest stars in the sky. For 
these Campbell has discovered the extremely important fact that they 
have smaller motions than the mean of the fainter stars, 
