574 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 21. 



began to be taken in active telescopic work. 

 An essay by Mr. G. E. Lumsden, entitled a 

 ' Plea for the Common Telescope ' (subse- 

 quently reprinted in the Scientific American 

 Supplement), was the means of creating a 

 very general desire for the possession of in- 

 struments of moderate aperture, and there 

 are now a great many telescopes ranging to 

 5-inch among the members of the Society. 

 Mr. Lumsden's own telescope is a 10:^-inch, 

 With-Browning reflector. It was with this 

 that he made an observation of a double 

 shadow of Sat. I in transit across the disc 

 of Jupiter, on the night of September 20, 

 1891. The particulars of the observation 

 and comments upon theories accounting 

 for the possible cause of the phenomenon, 

 which has been seen but three or four 

 times, appeared subsequently in L' Astrono- 

 mic. A drawing of Jupiter made on the 

 night of the observation forms the frontis- 

 piece to the. volume of Transactions of the 

 Society for 1891. 



During this year the Society lost a sin- 

 cere ii'iend and earnest worker by the death 

 of the Hon. Sir Adam Wilson, Chief-Jus- 

 tice of Ontario. This distinguished jurist, 

 one of the most eminent of Canada's public 

 men, had actively interested himself in 

 scientific matters after retiring from the 

 Chief-Justiceship, and had erected and 

 equipped an observatory at his residence. 

 Shortly after Sir Adam's decease, which was 

 quite sudden, Lady Wilson donated to the 

 Society his telescope, a six-inch reflector, 

 together with other apparatus and many 

 works on science. Sir Adam had intimated 

 that he wished these to pass to the Society 

 at his death. The reiiector is now mounted 

 at the residence of Mr. John A. Paterson, 

 M. A., vice-president, and is used by the 

 members in regular observation. 



In 1892 McElvins resigned the office of 

 vice-president, in order to have more time 

 at his disposal during which to take up 

 active work on special lines, notably meteor- 



ology. The constitution was amended to 

 admit of election of two vice-presidents, and 

 Dr. Larratt W. Smith, Q. C, and Mr. John 

 A. Paterson, M. A., were appointed. During 

 this year also the Hon. G. W. Ross, LL. D., 

 Minister of Education, became Honorary 

 President. The Society was now becoming 

 very extensively known, and its list of cor- 

 respondents rapidly increasing. The meet- 

 ings were particularly well attended, and 

 the Toronto press was most courteous and 

 obliging in publishing reports of the Societj'"s 

 work from time to time. Meetings were fi'e- 

 quently held at the Toronto observatoiy, 

 where practical use was made of the large 

 equatorial and other instruments of the 

 equipment. The great magnetic storm of 

 February 13, 1892, was charted by Mr. F. 

 L. Blake, of the observing staff, and a pho- 

 tographic reproduction accompanied the 

 volume for that j'ear. Towards the close 

 of 1892 a committee was appointed to act 

 conjointly with a committee fi'om the Cana- 

 dian Institute with a view to moving in the 

 matter of a change in astronomical time 

 reckoning. The report of the committee 

 was presented on April 21, 1893, and 

 adopted. It is now widely known that the 

 great majority of astronomers are in favor 

 of reckoning the astronomical as the civil 

 day, from midnight to midnight, and it 

 remains for the Government of the United 

 States to decide whether the ephemeris shall 

 be changed accordingly. The Admiralty in 

 England has expressed a desire to meet 

 the views of other nations. 



During 1893 the Society was enabled to 

 further the object always kept in view, the 

 popularizing of science, by the kindness of 

 the University authorities, who gave the use 

 of the physical lecture room for popular 

 lectures, illustrated by experiment. Mr. 

 C. A. Chant, B. A., and Mr. G. F. HuU, B. 

 A., have taken charge of this department 

 of the Society's work with eminent success. 

 A very liberal interpretation of the physics 



