jusMy attributed to some disturbance on the sun's surface, the 

 influence of which reaches this earth, we may reasonably refer the 

 latter to electricity. There seems httle doubt that the recent dis- 

 play of the Aurora haJ some connection with the remarkable sun 

 spots then visible. These spots when accur itely measured, were 

 found to be of the immense size of a hundred thousand miles in 

 length, and sixty thousand miles in breadth, while the whole group 

 extends over a hundred and fifty thousand miles. They were first 

 observed on the 5th of February last, and reached the sun's central 

 meridian on the 13th, on which and the following day a most unusual 

 magn tic disturbance was recorded by the instruments at Greenwich 

 the shadow of the magnetic needle on the sensitised paper being 

 deflected some three or four inches to either side many times 

 during those days. At Potsdam, where the recording instruments 

 are of an exceptionally delicate nature, the magnetic disturbance 

 caused the needle to move with the unprecedented speed of two 

 degrees in two minutes, while another magnetic scale registered as 

 much as three degrees, the recording power of this instrument not 

 being able to i:o beyond this. These proofs of magnetic disturbance 

 occurred on the 13th and 14th of February, and it was on the inter- 

 vening night that the magnificent display of the Aurora took place, 

 both on this continent and in America. There areseveral cases on 

 record in which the maximum period of sun spots has been coin- 

 cident with similar terrestrial magnetic disturbances. On the 

 other hand these disturbances have occurred when no spots have 

 been visible to us, but it is possible that sun spots may have 

 existed on the side farthest from us. 



Professor Higgins alluded in his address to the interesting 

 researches of Professors Schiaparelli and H. A. Newton as to the 

 connection between comets and periodic meteor swarms, and also 

 (by means of the sptic.roscope) as to the identity of cometary and 

 meteoric matter. At the same time. Professor Higgins inclines on 

 think that the head or nucleus of the comet is due rather to 

 disruptive electric discharges produced by processes of evaporation 

 due to intense solar heat than to clashing of separate meteoric 

 stones, which was the theory of Norman Lockyer. 



One of the most interesting points which the spectroscope has 

 established is that of the attenuated nature of the nebulae. It was 

 originally supposed that the nebulae were mysterious masses of 

 stars, too remote from this earth for the telescope to show them 

 even as separate bodies, and consequently of no value as throwing 

 any light on the great problem of the universe. This idea slowly 

 gave pJace to the theory that they were not stars at all, but portions 

 of the " fiery mist " or " shining fluid," out of which the heavens 

 and the earth were originally gradually evolved. I need not tell 



