Astronomy. 431 
3. Abstracts from the Report of the Council of the Royal 
Astronomical Society, at the fifteenth Annual meeting, Feb. 1870. 
tions, have been published in the last volume of the Transactions 
of the Royal Society. Nearly 150 separate ee of the paper, 
printed partly at the private expense of Mr. Warren De La Rue, 
were distributed chiefly to foreign observatories, scientific institu- 
tions, pa distinguished astronomers and physi sicists. 
The second instalme nt, containing the heliographic positions of 
the Bui-opote observed from the beginning of 1864 to the end of 
1866, is nearly ready, and will be presented to the Royal Society 
at an early date during the present session. 
Some investigations were also made last year on the influence 
which a refracting m medium of considerable density would have on 
af a 
: Me 
e. 
. 2 
throw much light on several . ant questions connect 
with solar physics. The matter will be exhaustively investigated 
in the gen — discussion of the Kew results. ‘ 
present year it is intended to bring, if possible, the 
work of she claieeians s up to date, The scarcity of spots 
agra 
oe dc aie 
ats years may be devote d to as careful a discussion of the 
whole work as is required by the halen ce of the astronomical 
and physical problems involved in it. 
Messrs. De La Rue. , Stewart, an and Loewy, state that the reduc- 
tions of Hofrath Schwabe’s observations are now finished. By 
g with the. 
1832, they have measured the yagi area of all his pictures up to 
the tins whe C arrington’s series commenced. From the results 
obtained they have first of all, dedused ced fortnightly views, and in 
i i re transitory fluctua- 
