302 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
On Saturday the i8th an excursion to Lake Minnetonka was tendered by 
the local committee, and about three hundred of the members availed themselves 
of the opportunity to visit this most lovely of western resorts. On arriving at 
Lake Park Hotel an excellent dinner was served, after which the whole party 
was taken upon the magnificent steamer. City of St. Louis, for an excursion of 
some thirty miles around the lake and among the islands, bays, straits, etc. This 
excursion will long be remembered as one of the pleasant features of the Minne- 
apolis meeting. 
On Monday afternoon, August 20th, another excursion was tendered; this 
time to St. Paul via Minnehaha Falls and Ft. Snelling. This also was highly 
enjoyable and terminated in a formal reception by the municipal officers and citi- 
zens of St. Paul and a grand dinner at the Metropolitan and Merchants' Hotels. 
On Wednesday, the 22d, the Association adjourned. The next meeting will 
be held in Philadelphia, and the British Association, which meets in Montreal at 
the same time, will join it. Over $100,000 has already been subscribed in Phil- 
adelphia to meet expenses. 
The following are the officers for 1884: President, Prof. J. P. Leslie, of 
Philadelphia; General Secretary, Dr. Alfred Springer, of Cincinnati; Assistant, 
Secretary, E. S. Holden, Madison, Wis.; Treasurer, Wm. Lilly, Mauch Chunck^ 
Pa.; Permanent Secretary, Prof. F. W. Putnam. 
ASTRONOMY. 
ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER, 1883. 
W. W. ALEXANDER, KANSAS CITY, MO. 
The Sun's apparent right ascension will increase only one hour and forty-five 
minutes during this month ; this is a very small amount, the average being two 
hours. Its diameter is also increasing; on the ist it is 31' 46" and on the 30th 
16" more. Equation of time, or the angular distance between the true and 
equatorial fictitious Sun, usually called the "mean Sun," will be on the ist 6.86 
sec, on the 30th lo min. 01. i sec. The sidereal time of Kansas City mean 
noon on the ist will be 10 h. 42 min. 15.8 sec, on the 15th 11 h. 37 min. 27.6 
sec, and on the 30th 12 h. 36 min. 35.9 sec; daily change from noon to noon 
3 min. 56.556 sec. 
Mercury. — The most favorable time to see this planet will be on the loth, 
at this time it will attain its greatest elongation east of the Sun and will be visible 
in the evening for one hour and thirty minutes after sunset. It will set about 6°' 
south of west, at the time of its elongation. The difficulties in the way of seeing 
this planet are numerous ; but few persons have ever seen it.. The amount of 
