EDITORIAL NOTES 



193 



June 22d, by Prof. Swift, at the Warner ob- 

 servatory, by which it appears that another 

 great comet has been discovered. Frof. 

 Sharpless, of Haverford college, Pennsylvan- 

 ia, states that L. F. Edward saw it with his 

 naked eye, and Edgar L. Larkin, of New 

 Windsor, 111., also reports seeing it, and that 

 it is a vast new comet. It is located in the 

 constellation Auriga, about eight degrees 

 from Capella, and it is not improbable it 

 may be the much expected comet of 1812, 

 which should appear not far from that local- 

 ity. There is some question as to whether 

 the honor of discovery and the Warner prize 

 of ^200 belong to Larkin or Edwards. 



The comet reported to have been discov- 

 ered in two places in the Eastern states last 

 week was also seen at San Francisco, by 

 Prof. Hanks. It was seen at Bodie, Cal., at 

 4:43 a. m., where the nucleus was well de- 

 fined and brilliant. The tail was observed 

 at Tombstone, hx., at four a. m. with a nu- 

 cleus apparently half the size of a full moon. 

 The tail is fan-shaped and very brilliant. 

 All dispatches state that the comet was 

 northeast northerly, heading northwest, and 

 just above the horizon. 



The unexpected visitor is believed to be 

 the famous comet of 1812, which possessed a 

 head 1,270,000 miles in diameter, with a nu- 

 cleus in the center 2,640 miles in diameter, 

 and a tail 1,000,000,000 miles long. The 

 comet of 1812 is expected to appear on its 

 return trip not far from the point at which 

 this one is seen, namely, in the constellation 

 Auriga, about eight degrees from Capella. 



Prof. Snow, of the Kansas State Univers- 

 ity, closes a recent letter as follows : '' Please 

 accept my congratulations upon the improved 

 appearance and constantly increasing excel- 

 lence of the Review." 



The FrenchGovernment having applied the 

 electric light to four of its light-houses and 

 become satisfied with the experiment, has 

 resolved to use it on all its other sea-signal- 

 ing stations. 



M. A. Meyndorf, Melter of the United 

 States Assay Office, at Helena, Montana, has 



been directed by Director of the Mint Burch- 

 ard to assist E. C. Jewett, at St. Louis, Mo. 

 The latter has recently been appointed As- 

 sayer in charge of the latter office. 



In conformity with the vote at the last 

 meeting, the thirtieth meeting of the Associ- 

 ation for the Advancement of Science will 

 be held at Cincinnati, Ohio, commencing at 

 ten o'clock, a. m., on Wednesday, the 17th 

 of August, 1881. A large and efficient local 

 committee has been formed and, through its 

 several sub-committees, is engaged in perfect- 

 ing the local arrangements for the meeting, 

 which will be announced by special circular 

 in a few days. The headquarters of the As- 

 sociation will be at the Music Hall, where 

 members will register as soon as possible af- 

 ter arrival. The Grand Hotel, on Fourth 

 street, has been selected as hotel headquar- 

 ters. The offices of the local committee and 

 of the Permanent Secretary will be at the 

 Music Hall. The general sessions and the 

 meeting of the sections, sub-sections, and 

 committees, will also be held under the same 

 roof. The circular of the local committee 

 will contain full information in relation to 

 hotels and boarding houses, with which 

 special arrangements have been made, and 

 also the special railroad rates agreed upon. 



The orders for bound volumes of the Re- 

 view have been more numerous than ever 

 before, and we have been especially gratified 

 by receiving three orders for full sets (four 

 volumes) within the past month ; one from 

 Washington City, one from Sioux City, and 

 one from Marion Center, Kansas. 



The Geological chart published on page 

 138 of this number of the Review is a re- 

 duced copy of one used by Prof. H. A. Reid, 

 of Des Moines, Iowa, " in illustration of the 

 successional order of sentient life on the 

 earth, as taught by modern science, and 

 showing how naturally and harmoniously 

 the Bible doctrine of angels joins on in its 

 proper place after the age of man." 



The Dukeof Argyle is reported dangerously 

 ill of gout at his residence. As he is 58 years 

 of age his recovery is regarded as doubtful. 



