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SCIENCE.. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 110. 



that spot, and whose example, he hoped, 

 would stimulate and inspire every one who 

 came to work under that roof. The labo- 

 ratory is open to persons of either sex and 

 of any nationality who can satisfy the 

 laboratory committee that they are fully 

 qualified to undertake original scientific 

 research in pure or physical chemistry, 

 preference being given to those who have 

 already published original work. The di- 

 rectors of the laboratory are Lord Eayleigh 

 and Professor Dewar. 



In the Comptes Bendus for December 2d 

 Stanislas Meunier recorded observations on 

 some asphaltic rocks and on the origin of 

 asphalt. From the behavior of bitumenous 

 rocks towards solvents the conclusion is 

 drawn that bitumen is the result of purely 

 mineral reactions, as of the double decom- 

 position of metallic carbids and water. 



J. L. H. 



ASTR0N03IICAL NOTES. 

 The Astronomisclie Nachrichten of January 

 4th contains a description by Professor Deich- 

 miiller, of a new instrument devised by him 

 for fixing the position of the zenith with a 

 meridian circle. The telescope is pointed 

 approximately at the zenith, and the new 

 instrument is mounted above the object 

 glass. It consists of a circular disc of 

 parallel surfaced glass floating in mer- 

 cury. The vessel containing the mercury 

 is so shaped that the glass is supported at 

 its edges only, so that it is possible to get 

 an unobstructed view of the sky through 

 the middle portion of the glass. It is thus 

 possible to observe the reflected image of 

 the wires, and then to transfer the position 

 of the zenith to the sky without the use of 

 any graduated circle. The instrument is 

 ingenious, and the principle is novel. Prof. 

 Deichmiiller gives some very accordant 

 observations made with it. As in the case 

 of all the floating collimators, however, it 

 will be necessarj' to make sure that the 



opposite sides of the mercury do not differ 

 in temperature. 



The December Monthly Notices of the 

 Eoyal Astronomical Society contains an in- 

 teresting article by Prof. Kambaut, of Dub- 

 lin, on a method of correcting the rate of an 

 equatorial clock, so as to make the tele- 

 scope follow very nearly the motion of the 

 stars for the purposes of photograph j^. 

 Professor Rambaut gives formulae for cal- 

 culating the effect of refraction upon the 

 apparent rate of diurnal motion of the stars, 

 and shows how this effect can be very 

 nearly compensated by varying the clock 

 rate. In this way the work of the ob- 

 server can be made much easier. 



The Wasburn Observatory of the Univer- 

 sity of Wisconsin has issued Vol. X., Part 

 I., of its Publications. It contains a series 

 of double-star observations by Professor 

 Geo. C. Comstock. 



The director's report of the Harvard Col- 

 lege Observatory for the year 1896 has 

 appeared. From it we learn that the 

 new Bruce photographic telescope has 

 been transported to Peru, and successfully 

 mounted at Arequipa. H. J. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 

 Me. Charles D. Walcott, the Director of 

 the United States Geological Survey, has been 

 appointed Acting Assistant Secretary of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, with duties confined to 

 the charge of the National Museum. It is 

 understood that Mr. Walcott has not taken the 

 new office permanently and that he does not ex- 

 pect to give his full time to the duties of adminis- 

 tration of the aflFairs of the Museum, these being 

 left largely to the present permanent staff of 

 that institution. He will exercise a general 

 supervision and direction of the affairs of 

 the Museum in addition to his present duties 

 as Director of the Geological Survey. Mr. 

 Walcott is well acquainted with the adminis- 

 tration of the National Museum. For the 

 past twelve years he has held the position of 

 Honorary Curator in the Museum and for 



