October 7, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



471 



resulting longitudes. The difference of longi- 

 tude Vladivostok-Manila remains uncorrected 

 for plus the difference of personal equation of 

 two of the observers, and the difference of 

 longitude Manila-Madras remains uncorrected 

 for plus twice the difference of personal equa- 

 tion of the same two observers. The two re- 

 sults for the longitude of Manila are as 



follows : 



1. 



hm 3 s 



Manila Cathedral Borne- 

 Madras, U. S. Navy, 2 42 53.000 ± 0057 + 2 (iV -G.) 



Madras-Greenwich, English 

 and Germans, 5 20 59238 +0.022 



Manila Cathedral Dome- 

 Greenwich, 8 0352.238 ±0.06H- 2 (iV.-G.) 



h m 3 s 



Vladivostok-Manila Cathe- 

 dral Dome, U. S. Navy, 04338.500 ±0.059 -f (iV.-G.) 



Vladivostok-Greenwich, Rus- 

 sians and Germans, 8 47 31.197 ± 0146 



Manila Cathedral Dome- 

 Greenwich, 8 OS 52 697 ± 0.157 — (N.-G. ) 



The symbol (_N.-G.) indicates the unknown 

 personal equation correction to these deter- 

 minations of the longitude of Manila. Owing 

 to this unknown correction, it is difficult to 

 give proper weights to these two values of the 

 longitude of Manila to combine them with the 

 value recently determined by the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey- via United States. It is 

 probable that the value of (N.-G.) is plus and 

 the corrections, if known, would bring the two 

 longitudes of Manila closer together. Taking 

 the mean of the two values, we have: 



h m s 

 Manila Cathedral Dome-Greenwich 8 03 52.468 -f J (iV.-G.). 



which differs only 0^.042 or 61.7 feet from the 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey result. 



In 1881-2 the U. S. Navy adopted for the 

 longitude of Madras 51^ 20™ 52s.42, which gave 

 for their value of the longitude of Manila 

 S"! 03'" 52S.42. This value, which differs only 

 0^.006 or 8.8 feet from the Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey result, has been used since 1882. 



The difference of longitude San Francisco- 

 Manila determined by the Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey has a probable error of zfc 0.022. The 

 longitude of San Francisco depends upon the 

 longitude net of the United States and its 



connection with that of Europe, and includes 

 seventy-two differences of longitude between 

 forty-five points. Four of these differences of 

 longitude are trans-Atlantic, three by the 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey and one (1892, not 

 yet published) by the English and Canadians. 

 In view of these facts and the unknown cor- 

 rection for personal equation in the other two 

 values of the longitude of Manila, the value 

 determined by the Coast and Geodetic Survey 

 will be accepted. Edwin Smith. 



Coast and Geodetic Suevet, 

 September 2, 1904. 



BOTANICAL NOTES. 



SYSTEMATIC NOTES. 



Two new blackberries {Rubus vermoniensis, 

 and var. viridif alius) , allied to Bubus argutus, 

 are described by W. H. Blanchard in the July 

 number of the American Botanist. They oc- 

 cur in southern Vermont. — The July number 

 of the Fern Bulletin contains an annotated 

 list of the ferns of Kentucky by the late Miss 

 S. F. Price. Thirty-eight species of ferns 

 and four lycopods are included. — Professor E. 

 L. Greene continues the publication of his 

 ' Leaflets,' the last fascicle (pages 49-64) bear- 

 ing date of August 25, 1904, and including 

 systematic discussions pertaining to Cactaceae, 

 Gentianaceae, Apocynaceae, Cichoriaceae and 

 Rliamnaceae. — In the August number of Tor- 

 reya Dr. N. L. Britton describes a new alder 

 (Alnus novehoracensis) from Staten Island. — 

 Mr. C. G. Lloyd's ' Mycological Notes ' for 

 June include some interesting paragraphs in 

 regard to the herbaria of Kew, the British 

 Museum, Linnaean Herbarium, Leiden and 

 Berlin, as well as personal notes about some 

 of the botanists now or formerly associated 

 with these collections. — Mr. E. P. Bicknell con- 

 tinues his studies of Sisyrinchium in the June 

 Torrey Bulletin, describing five new species 

 from California. In the same journal Dr. P. 

 A. Rydberg describes twenty-five new species 

 and varieties of flowering plants from the 

 Eocky Mountain region. — W. A. Murrill con- 

 tinues his series of papers on the Polyporaceae 

 of North America in the August Torrey Bul- 

 letin, and separates the following new genera 

 from Polyporus, viz., Ahortiporus, Cyclomy- 



