568 



NATURE 



{April 15, 1880 



impressed on our ears, it is too soon to do more than 

 attempt to trace the more marked features of his character. 

 The qualities which chiefly distinguished him intellectually 

 were the variety of his knowledge, the accuracy of his 

 memory, which he retained to the last without appreciable 

 impairment, and his sound discrimination in all matters 

 of doubt or controversy. To his friends he was endeared 

 by his habitual consideration for the welfare and interests 

 of others, his unwillingness to think ill even of those of 



whose conduct he disapproved, and his transparent truth- 

 fulness. When it is remembered how large was the circle 

 of his acquaintance and the number of those who, during 

 the thirty-eight years of his professorial life, came under 

 his personal influence, we may well moderate our grief at 

 parting with him by reflecting on the good that must 

 have accrued from the life and labours of one in whom so 

 vigorous an understanding was united with so genial and 

 sympathetic a nature. 



SIGNOR PERINI'S PLANETARIUM 



IN Nature, vol. xxi. p. hi, we described the ingenious 

 planetarium recently invented by Signor Perini, and 

 which has cost him seven years' constant labour. To-day 



we are able to present an illustration of this invention, 

 which may give those of our readers who have not seen 

 the original, some idea of its construction. The visitors are 

 supposed to be standing underneath the dome, from which 



are suspended the sun and planets. Of course it ha, been tion must be ol the greatest posbiWe -.va Ity t or deta Is 

 necessary for purposes of illustration to greatly exaggerate , we must refer the readers to our piexio « aitic« on ine 

 the proportionate sizes of the planets, but our readers will planetarium, which we believe is still standing and may 

 see that for purposes of instruction Signor Perini's inven- be seen at 77, Newman Street, Oxford Street. 



