236 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



number of stars of which the apparent or mean places 



aces of 450 of these at 

 The preparation of the large ca1 



(,,.-<, II. «-ha ft maki's desirable this 





fundamental stars, whose places are fully given. 



In the Appendix Dr. Anwers compares the places of the stars 

 given in the Jahrbuch with those in the Am. Ephemeris, the 

 Nautical Almanac, and the Conmiis.saiice des Temps, all for the 

 epoch 1883-0. The numbers in the several almanacs are as 

 follows : 



Ephemeris stars, 599 450 208 197 309 111 



South of -32 Dee., 51 ... 44 15 ]8 



The right ascensions and declinations of the whole 791 stars 

 are compared individually, ami both the systematic and irregular 

 small differences are shown between the Jahrbuch and the other 

 three Ephemerides. h. a. n. 



2. Transit of Venus.— The three missions designated for ob- 

 servation of the Venus transit in Patagonia left on the 20th ult. 

 in the Messageries steamer from Bordeaux, for Buenos Ayres. 

 The arrangement is as rollout— Hi,, N< U ro (41° S.). M. Pe.r'otin, 

 director of Nice Observatory, accompanied by Lieutenants Tessier 

 and Delacroix, and M. (.imnaire, photographer to the Observa- 

 tory ; Chuhut (43° S.|, .M. lTatt. hydroo T; ,],}iic engineer, assisted 



('apt. Kh'uriaisTass'Med b'v Lieutcmmts Le l\'nl and de Royer 

 <!<• Saint Julien, and M. Lebrun, naturalist. Arrived at .Monte 

 Video, the first two missions will probably embark in the advice 

 boat La Bourdonnah, the third in tin 'advice boat LeVolage. 

 In the course of observations, detachments from the IV^/r will 

 try to ascend the Rio Santa-Cruz at least to the point reached by 

 Darwin in the Beagle expedition. The Chili mission, composed 

 of Lieut, de Hernardiere, assisted by Lieut. Barnaud and Knsign 

 Favcreau, embarked on the 15th ult. in an English steamer going 

 by the Straits of Magellan. — Nature, Aug. 3. 



From the United States, a party goes to Santa- Cruz, Patago- 

 nia, in charge of S. W. Very, IT. S. Navy, with O. B. Wheeler, 

 assistant astronomer, Wm. Bell, photographer, and Irvin Stanley, 

 assistant photographer. 



3. Report iifxat Esjx r'rnn ntx ami f/trtsfa/atin,,* t<> <f,rrh>j>u 

 S,,«tr„, ,,/ Sulaaariu, Mna,/ur ,l,f ,olh,n th, llarhar* of the 

 Caiti'if States — submitted to the Board of Engineers by Lieut. - 

 < "ol. 1Ii-:m:v L. Aijuott, Corps of Engineers. 444 pp. 4to, 

 with .'7 plates. Washington, 1*81. (Professional papers of the 

 Corps of Engineers, V, S. A., No. 23.)— This valuable volume 

 contains a portion of the results of a long series of experiments 

 and investigations carried on under the eharge of (General Abbott 

 since 1869, and bearing upon the general subject of submarine 



