192 



KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



well rememlDered by all who were then old enough to notice it. It was first seen 

 at Florence, on June 2d, 1858, by Donati, who described it as a very faint nebu- 

 losity, about 3^ in diameter. About the end of the month it was discovered 

 independently by three American observers : H. P. Tuttle, at Cambridge ; H. 

 H. Parkhurst, at Perth Amboy, New Jersey; and Miss Maria Mitchel, at Nan- 

 tucket. During the first three months of its visibility it gave no indications of 

 of its future grandeur. No tail was noticed until the middle of August, and at 

 the end of that month it was only half a degree in length, while the comet itself 

 was barely visible to the naked eye. It continued to approach the sun till the 

 end of September, and during this month developed with great rapidity, attaining 

 its greatest brilliancy about the first half of October. Its tail was then 40° in 

 length, and 10° in breadth at its outer end, and of a curious feather-like form. 

 About October 20th it passed so far south as to be no longer visible in northern 

 latitudes ; but it was followed in the southern hemisphere until March following. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



The Annual Meeting of the Kansas City 

 Academy of Science was held at the First 

 Presbyterian church on the evening of May 

 31. The anniversary address was delivered 

 by Gen. S. R. Bow^man, his subject being 

 "The Mistakes of Great Cities." At the 

 conclusion of the address, which was a brief 

 review of the errors in engineering and sani- 

 tation in various prominent cities of the 

 world, with practical suggestions on these 

 subjects for our own municipal authorities, 

 the yearly reports of the various officers 

 were read and adopted. 



The Treasurer reported the receipts of the 

 year as ^224.25, the disbursements, $gy.'jo, 

 balance on hand, JS126. 25. 



The Assistant Librarian and Custodian of 

 the Museum reported the number of volumes 

 in the library as 119, the number of mineral- 

 ogical specimens 129, the number of geolog- 

 ical specimens, including fossils, 476, the 

 number of archaeological specimens, 180. 



The election of officers for the ensuing 

 year was then held, resulting in the choice of 

 Hon. R. T. VanHorn, as President; Wm. 



H. Miller, Vice President; Prof. J. D. Par- 

 ker, Recording Secretary ; Theo. S. Case, 

 Corresponding Secretary; Dr. T. J. Eaton, 

 Treasurer; Dr. R. W. Brown, Assistant 

 Treasurer ; H. P. Child, Librarian ; S. J. 

 Hare, Cuf.todian of the Museum ; Dr. George 

 Halley, Member of Executive Committee. 

 The Academy then adjourned until the third 

 Tuesday in September. 



Capt. Howgate writes from San Fra.icisco 

 June 10: "The Rodgers has not sailed yet, 

 but expects to get away next week. The 

 Academy here gave the officers of the ship a 

 fine reception last week, at which Mr. C. W. 

 Brooks read a very interesting paper, on The 

 Jeannette Expedition." 



Alexander W. Browne, the Signal Serv- 

 ice Observer, U. S. Army, at Leavenworth, 

 Kansas, paid this office a hurried call a few 

 days since. He is a zealous and careful ob- 

 server and is doing good work at his post. 



Two simultaneous dispatches were received 



