Apeil 10, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



553 



much interest to students of N"orthei'n an- 

 tiquities, both published in tlie ' Memoires 

 de I'Academie Royale des Sciences de 

 Danemark.' 



One is a discussion of the remarkable so- 

 called 'silver vase' exhumed in 1891 at 

 Gundestruj). Upon its sides were numer- 

 ous singular figures in relief, and it has 

 generally passed as an example of old ISTorse 

 work. This view is disproved by Professor 

 Steenstrup, who shows that without doubt 

 it is part of a series of decorations from 

 some Buddhist temple in northern Asia. 

 His memoir is abundantlj^ supplied with 

 plates and illustrations showing the iden- 

 tity of motives. It probably was a part of 

 the spoils of some ancient raid which by 

 exchange had reached the western shore of 

 the continent. 



His second memoir is another study of 

 a similar character, bringing out the rela- 

 tions which in proto-historic times existed 

 between Scandinavia and northern Asia. 

 It is entitled 'Yak-Lungta Bracteaterne,' 

 and contains numerous illustrations of gold 

 bracteates from the two regions, showing 

 the same character of design and work- 

 manship. D. G. Beinton. 



University of Pennsylvania. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



ASTRONOMY. 



The February number of the Monthly No- 

 tices of the Koyal Astronomical Society, copies 

 of which have just been received, contains the 

 annual reports of the directors of the British 

 observatories for the year 1895. Many of these 

 reports are very interesting, and they show that 

 the customary astronomical activity has not de- 

 creased. The routine meridian observations 

 and those of comets, etc. , have been carried on 

 with the usual success. Nearly all the plates 

 for the astrophotographic catalogue, and some 

 of those for the chart, have been taken at the 

 Greenwich, Cape, Oxford and Sydney observa- 

 tories. The work of measurement has also made 



quite satisfactory progress. "We quote the fol- 

 lowing from the Greenwich report : 



"Towards the determination of the right 

 ascensions and declinations of the stars the fol- 

 lowing steps have been taken : From the right 

 ascensions and declinations given in the cata- 

 logues of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, ' stand- 

 ard coordinates ' have been deduced for all 

 stars on 72 plates which are contained in these 

 catalogues. (By standard coordinates are meant 

 the rectangular coordinates of the stars on the 

 plates.) By a comparison of these with the 

 measured coordinates, plate constants have 

 been determined, from which the standard co- 

 ordinates of other stars on the plates may be 

 obtained by means of a linear correction, and 

 the right ascensions and declinations deduced 

 by a trigonometiical transformation, if desired. 

 A full account of this, as well as the comparison 

 of thirty overlapping plates, is given in the 

 Monthly Notices, January, 1896." 



The above shows that the reduction of the 

 catalogue plates is well under way at Green- 

 wich. The same is true ajt Oxford, and, as we 

 mentioned in a previous issue, it is also pro- 

 ceeding satisfactorily at Paris and Potsdam. At 

 the Cape considerable measuring has also been 

 done. But the most important announcement 

 from the Cape is as follows : 



' ' The printing in two volumes of ' A Deter- 

 mination of the Solar Parallax and the Mass of 

 the Moon from Observations of Iris, Victoria 

 and Sappho,' is approaching completion. The 

 part of the work referring to the meridian ob- 

 servations of the comparison stars is by Prof. 

 Auwers, that of the discussion of the heliometer 

 observations of Iris by Dr. Elkin." 



We have not space to refer to the many de- 

 tails given in the reports of the various observa- 

 tories. But they are all interesting, and will 

 repay perusal by astronomers. The Society's 

 medal was conferred upon Dr. S. C. Chandler, 

 of Cambridge, Mass., as has already been an- 

 nounced in this journal. 



The Astronomical Journal of March 31st con- 

 tains an article by Prof. Simon Newcomb on the 

 ' Variation of Personal Equation with the Magni- 

 tude of the Star Observed.' This is the first 

 attempt to make a general discussion of this 

 rather obscure point for a large number of star 



