EEPOETS FEOM THE SECTION'S. 287 



WEDNESDAY, 30 AUGUST, 1876. 

 Mr. H. C. Etjssell, F.E.A.S., in the Chair. 



In answer to a question made by one of the members present, 

 Mr. Etjssell described some of the methods adopted in the 

 manufacture of optical glass as noticed by him in his recent visit 

 to Europe and America. He also explained the beautifully 

 delicate apparatus invented by the Hamburgh optician, Mr. H. 

 Schroeder, for testing the curves of telescope lenses with an 

 accuracy previously unknown. 



The Chairman then read some notes he had prepared on the 

 planet Yenus. The white patch visible during the transit of 

 December, 1874, was again detected on 15th June, 1876. On 

 several occasions part of the disc was visible in the telescope : the 

 dark portion being apparently projected upon a lighter back 

 ground of sky. On 80th June, Mr. Eussell, in observing Jupiter's 

 satellites with a power of 800, noticed that the third satellite was 

 of a ruddy colour and sharply defined disc. A mean of 46 micro- 

 metrical measure gave a polar flattening to Jupiter of 1-17*5. 



WEDNESDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER, 1876. 

 Mr. H. C. Etjssell, E.E.A.S., in the Chair. 



Mr. G-. D. HiEST exhibited a drawing of Saturn executed from 

 a lO^-inch silvered glass equatorial with a power of 214. He 

 remarked the square-shouldered appearance of the ball of the 

 planet noticed by former observers. The most remarkable feature 

 on the ball was a dark belt near the equator of a rich brown 

 inclining to red ; the black line in the centre of this belt, first 

 noticed by Mr. Eussell a couple of years ago, was not visible in 

 the reflector. The poles of the planet exhibited a beautiful 

 bluish-grey, shading ofl" into a yellow towards the equator. Ball's 

 division in the ring was only visible at the two extremities. 

 The crape ring appears as a remarkably dark band crossing the 

 disc of the planet. 



Mr. Eussell stated that the narrow black line indicating the 

 shadow of the ring on the ball appeared a short time ago perfectly 

 straight instead of following the outline of the ring ; a micrometer 

 laid along it showed no deviation. 



A discussion followed relative to the gale of 10th September, 

 as compared with tropical tornadoes, Mr. Du JFaur remarking 

 that from his experience within the tropics the velocity of the 

 wind in the late gale, although very high, must have fallen far 

 short of what it attained during West Indian hurricanes. The 

 discussion then turned to some of the meteorological character- 

 istics of this Colony. Messrs. De Salis and Du Eaur gave some 

 particulars of important changes produced in the configuration 

 of the country by floods in the interior. 



The meeting then closed. 



