278 French Prisoners. 



prisoners each week. In all there were about twenty prisoners 

 in Lochmaben, all in private lodgings. They were quiet, 

 peaceable, well-behaved men generally, though once or twice 

 one or two had stiff battles with the fist. They did not mix 

 with the local people. They occupied themselves much with 

 line-fishing in the Loch, and Hume remembered seeing them 

 on one occasion at least catching a fish so large that it had to 

 be dragged up the street. They were also clever at handi- 

 craft work, and made spoons and little knick-knacks from 

 bones. 



The Town Bell tolled at 6 a.m. to get them out of bed, 

 and at 6 p.m. for dinner, and lo to turn in. This is given as 

 the origin of the bell toll in Lochmaben. Some of the 

 prisoners took Scots wives with them when they left in 1814. 



Astronomical Notes, 1912. 



By Mr J. Rutherford, Jardington. 



Comets. 



" Gale's Comet," Comet (a), 191 2, was discovered by 

 Mr Walter Gale, " Amateur Astronomer," Waratah, Sydney, 

 on September 9th, near " Theta," Centauri. It was about 

 the 7th mag. ; became visible in Britain in the beginning of 

 October. On the nth of October it was about 4th mag. in 

 the constellation Serpentis. In the beginning of September, 

 though fading fast, was fairly easy in the telescope. 



Comet (b), 191 2 — " Tuttle's Comet." This Comet was 

 picked up by Schaumasse of the Nice Observatory on the i8th 

 of October, and turned out to be " Tuttle's " periodic Comet, 

 which had returned to perihelion about two months too soon. 

 It has a period of about 13J years. Its too early return is 

 accounted for by the Comet in 1901 passing within 70 millions 

 of miles of Jupiter. 



Comet (c), 191 2. — The third Comet of the year was dis- 

 covered by M. Borelly on the 2nd of November. It was 

 about 9 degrees west of " Vega," in Lyrae, of the loth mag., 

 and moving in a southward direction. All these comets 

 might be called telescopic. Gale's could be picked up with a 



