Astronomy. 327 
Ill. Astronomy. 
Venus.—The Italian observers at Maddapore in Bengal, 
which party the eminent spectroscopist Tacchini belonged, asides 
observing all four contacts, ascertained an important fact respect- 
Ven 
Venus both on and off the sun, tudisaten in the spectroscope that 
the vps eee: contains aqueous vapor.—Vaiure, Jan. 21. 
2. A Society for gy sronehie observations on the Sun has been 
ip in Caleutta.— Nature, 
Phi ey ‘al and Mataivodapivat Observations made during 
the. year 1872 at the U. 8. Naval Observatory. Rear-Admiral 6. 
F. Sanps, U.S. . , Superintendent. Published by authority of the 
Hon. rte etary of the Nav y. CVI, 4p 58 and 22 pp., 4to. ash- 
ington, 1874.—This new Beni of the U. 8. Naval Observatory 
opens with an account of the Observdts eee Transit on 
— (160 pp.); with the Peete Circle (161-204 pp.); with the 
quatorial (207-232 pp.) ; n declination of stars, from individ- 
ual observations with the Muted Circle (235-246 pp. };m mean agen 
of miscellancous stars, from individual observations with t 
Transit Circle (249-268 pp.); Catalogue of stars observed with Pa 
Transit Circle (271-278 pp.); Right ascensions, N. Polar distances 
and semi-diameters of the Sun; Small Planets ; "Declinations of the 
loon. It concludes with meteorological tables , and a report on 
the difference of es Payee between fons — and Detroit, Mich- 
igan, — Nevada, and Austin 
PRoFEssor praenapearsctcs ay a nriede igh Wilhelm August Ar- 
gelander, pw at Memel in East Prussia on the 22d of March, 
assistant = pe observatory at Koénigsberg, under Bessel, after- 
ward, in 1823, Director of the Finland Observatory at bo and 
Helitiietiia” ca in 1834, Director of ian Observatory 
at Bonn, where he a his assiduous labors until within a 
short time of his dea 
Professor ‘Augededier astronomical labors were principally in 
the field bel fixed-star Bieese re he pe they nan f be described 
wl he mad nideterutention of the motion of the solar 
ixiten in space, with paaie nearly the same as those of Sir Wil- 
lam | el. His ul and comprehensive estimation, too, of 
the comparative magnitudes of all the “re visible to the naked 
eye should be mentioned (Uranometria Noy 
