January 4, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



— The American Historical Association held its fifth annual 

 session last week, a large number of members being present. The 

 president, William T. Poole, in his opening address, treated princi- 

 pally of the ordinance of 1787 for the North-west Territory, and 

 called attention to the great need of impartial biographies of Gen. 

 George W. Clark, La Salle, Kenton, and Father Hennepin ; Gen. 

 James Grant Wilson gave an account of the evolution of the " Cy- 

 clopsedia of American Biography ; " Dr. A. G. Warner read a 

 treatise on town and county government in the United States ; 

 Professor McLaughlin of the University of Michigan rendered 

 tribute to the influence of Gen. Cass on the development of the 

 North-west ; Professor Knight of the Ohio State University treated 

 of the history of higher education in that section ; Professor Allen 

 of the University of Wisconsin presented a paper on the position 

 of the North-west in general history ; and Major J. W. Powell pre- 

 sented a language-map for North America, which has been pre- 

 pared by the Bureau of Ethnology. It represents in graphic form 

 the results of the investigations of many persons who have been 

 engaged on the work for the past fifteen years. He explained the 

 methods adopted in correlating and classifying the aboriginal 

 tongues, and the historical researches that had been prosecuted to 

 determine the pristine homes of the various tribes. He finally gave 

 a characterization of Indian languages. Other papers were read 

 by W. C. Fisher of Cornell ; C. N. Morris of Berkeley ; G. Brown 

 Goode, assistant secretary of the Smithsonian ; F. A. Bancroft, 

 librarian of the State Department ; H. C. Lee of Philadelphia ; W. 

 W. Henry of Richmond ; and Clarence W. Bowen of New York. 

 Officers of the association for the coming year were elected as fol- 

 lows : president, Charles Kendall Adams of Cornell University ; 

 vice-president, John Jay of New York ; second vice-president, Wil- 

 liam Wirt Henry of Virginia ; secretary, Herbert B. Adams of 

 Johns Hopkins University ; treasurer, Clarence Winthrop Bowen 

 of New York. An executive committee, in addition to the above- 

 named officers, were elected as follows : Rutherford B. Hayes. 

 George P. Fisher, and John W. Burgess. 



— At a recent meeting of the Royal Meteorological Society, Rev. 

 I. A. Preston gave an interesting summary of phenological obser- 

 vations for 1888. He said that vegetation was generally backward 

 throughout the season. In the south-west of England and south 

 of Ireland plants were earlier than usual, but not elsewhere. In 

 February they were from one to four weeks later, and gradually 

 gained ground till June. In the south of Ireland they were slightly 

 in advance of the average in June and July ; in the south-west of 

 England they just reached the average in July, while in Guernsey 

 they were a fortnight later. Fruits generally were a failure, — 

 very few really ripened, — and, from want of sun, were deficient in 

 flavor. Hay-making was unusually late (as much as five weeks). 

 It began in July or August, and was not entirely finished till late in 

 September. Much of it was spoiled or secured in bad condition. 

 Straw was plentiful, and, though the corn was not an average crop, 

 the fine October enabled farmers to secure a better one than could 

 have been expected. Roots were often a failure, and potatoes were 

 much diseased. Capt. D. Wilson Barker read a paper entitled " A 

 Winter's Weather in Massowah," in which he gave the results of 

 four-hourly observations from December, 18S7, to February, 1888; 

 the highest shade temperature being 95°, and the lowest 68°. 



— The observation of the total eclipse of the sun of Jan. I, which 

 was visible over a belt stretching from California to Manitoba, was 

 favored by clear weather, and it is probable that results of great 

 value have been obtained. The principal work was done by the 

 Harvard University party at the Lick Observatory, by astronomers 

 at Norman, Professor Swift near Chico, the Chabot Observatory, 

 and people at Cloverdale. Professor Louis Smith was stationed at 

 Nelson, Cal., and telegraphed the following as the result of his ob- 

 servations of the eclipse : "As far as affording opportunity to 

 search for intra-mercurial planets, it was a failure from clouds and 

 haze. All four contacts were well made, the chronometer watch 

 previously set to Lick Observatory time being used. Five very 

 small colorless protuberances were seen, all having pointed apexes. 

 Near the point of one was another detached from the sun. Bailey's 

 beads were seen at the second and third contacts, but entirely un- 

 ike those seen at Denver in 1878. No chromosphere was visible. 



though looked for. Mercury, Venus, Vega, and Alpha Cygni were 

 seen. The corona could not be drawn, but as seen through the 

 telescopes it was not very extensive." At Brandon, Manitoba, ob- 

 servations were made. At 3.1 5 o'clock, central time, 90° longitude, 

 the first contact was observed. At 3.15.34 the shadow had crept 

 over one-half the disk ; at 3.15.47, three-quarters ; and the totality 

 occurred at 3.16.09. At the quarter a deep-reddish color was ob- 

 servable at the edge of the sun's disk, projecting from beneath the 

 dark body. Immediately after, a sort of halo was formed around 

 the disk, it is difficult to say whether of a greenish or bluish color. 

 It was red at the outer edge, with the color deepening. At 3.15.34 

 a vibratory motion was visible around the outside of the sun's disk. 

 At the three-quarter obscurity, jets from the upper right and lower 

 left sides and from the lower left horn of the crescent were visible. 

 The corona was irregular, extending to the left and right, — on the 

 left above and on the right below. The corona was observed and 

 sketched very carefully. This sketch was exhibited to other ob- 

 servers, who recognized the irregular shape it assumed. Above 

 and below, the depth was not nearly so great as to the right and 

 left. To the right the illumination assumed an almost square or 

 block appearance, whereas to the left it was narrowest and more 

 elongated. To the observers' view, the inner corona was distinctly 

 visible immediately after totality on the upper left side. This phe- 

 nomenon grew fainter for 28 seconds, and then more visible, until 

 immediately before the sun's re-appearance, when it was again dis- 

 tinctly visible. On the bottom right-side corner of the inner corona 

 appeared a luminous gold ring, and it was very beautiful during 

 totality. Another observer used his telescope, and secured cor- 

 roborative evidence of the above. In fact, so well defined was the 

 corona, that to close and careful observers there was no difficulty 

 in agreement. No streamers or filaments were observed. The 

 time of totality, according to one observer, was 56 seconds, and 

 according to another 57. As the eclipse neared totality, the ther- 

 mometer fell very perceptibly. In fact, it became intensely cold. 

 The vibratory motion already spoken of was distinctly seen on the 

 walls of St. Matthew's Church close by. Stars could be seen stud- 

 ding the deep blue of the heavens. The corona was small and of a 

 pearly lustre. In two places only several long rays were seen. 

 Fuller reports may be expected at an early date. 



— In behalf of the American Association for the Study and 

 Cure of Inebriety, the sum of one hundred dollars is offered by Dr. 

 L. D. Mason, vice-president of the society, for the best original es- 

 say on "The Pathological Lesions of Chronic Alcoholism Capable 

 of Microscopic Demonstration." The essay is to be accompanied 

 by carefully prepared microscopic slides, which are to demonstrate 

 clearly and satisfactorily the pathological conditions which the essay 

 considers. Conclusions resulting from experiments on animals will 

 be admissible. Accurate drawings or micro-photographs of the 

 slides are desired. The object of the essay will be to demonstrate, 

 first, are there pathological lesions due to chronic alcoholism ? sec- 

 ond, are these lesions peculiar or not to chronic alcohoUsm .' 

 The microscopic specimens should be accompanied by an authentic 

 alcoholic history ; and other complications, as syphilis, should be 

 excluded. The successful author will be promptly notified of his 

 success, and asked to read and demonstrate his essay personally or 

 by proxy, at a regular or special meeting of the Medical Microscop- 

 ical Society of Brooklyn. The essay will then be published in the 

 ensuing number of "The Journal of Inebriety" (T. D. Crothers, 

 Hartford, Conn.) as the prize essay, and then returned to the au- 

 thor for further publication, or such use as he may desire. The 

 following gentlemen have consented to act as a committee : W. H. 

 Bates, M.D., chairman, 175 Remsen Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. ; John 

 E. Weeks, M.D., 43 West i8th Street, New York; Richmond 

 Lennox, M.D., 164 Montague Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 



— The fourth annual meeting of the Indiana Academy of Science 

 was held from Dec. 25 to Dec. 27 at Indianapolis. On Wednesday 

 night Professor J. P. D. John delivered the presidential address, on 

 " Religion and the Law of Continuity." The programme provides 

 for papers to be read in four sections, — zoology ; botany ; geology 

 and geography; chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Among the 

 papers announced, those on zoology outnumber those in any other 

 section. 



