for the year 1872. Ixiii 



unknown substance, which, as appears to be probable, is 

 identical with that which prod aces the spectrum observed in 

 auroras, and which is specifically marked by a line known as 

 K 147-1 in the green. The spectrum of the chromosphere was 

 characterised by the hydrogen C line, which predominated ; 

 a line known as 1474* of KirchofFs scale in the green part 

 of the spectrum ; and the blue hydrogen line F. The 

 corona was observed to be of a clearly radiated structure, or, 

 as Mr. Lockyer says, "the rays were built up of innumer- 

 able bright lines of different lengths, with more or less 

 dark spaces between them ; near the sun the structure 

 was lost in the brightness of the central ring." He tried 

 the spectrum of a streamer above the point at which the sun 

 had disappeared. He says : " I got a vivid hydrogen 

 spectrum with line K 1474 .... the line C was 

 very vivid, . . . the spectrum was undoubtedly the 

 spectrum of glowing gas." 



I have but little of more than ordinary interest to record 

 of the past year's history of our several science or art 

 institutions. The Technological Museum attached to the 

 Public Library has made considerable progress ; not only 

 have the Commissioners establislied classes of chemistry, 

 mineralogy, and practical mining, but have organised even- 

 ing courses of lectures on popularised science and art. 

 These have always been so well attended that it is 

 to be regretted that a larger lecture-room than the one which 

 was built for class teaching has not been erected. The 

 earlier courses of these lectures have been printed and 

 circulated by the Commissioners. They appear to have 

 attracted considerable attention in England and on the 

 Continent, especially those by Baron Von Mueller on Forest 

 Culture, and the purely technological series of Mr. George 

 Foord. Professor Negri, president of the Royal Geogra- 

 phical Society of Italy, in referring to Baron Von Mueller's 



