Astronomy. 161 
the purpose of determining the solar parallax. Returns which 
could be used in the investigation were received from Melbourne, 
Sydney and the Cape of Good Hope in the Southern, and from 
Cambridge (Mass.) and Leyden in the Northern Hemis sphere. 
After the discussion and comparison of the observations, reject- 
ing a very few that are palpably erroneous, Professor Eastman 
says: “Taking the mean of the remaining i 6 results from 
all the stations, with regard to the weights, we 
ma = 8":980 + 0"°0172. 
The results from the Melbourne and Cambri ridge Serie me 
seem to indicate either that the value found for 2 [9’:1382] is cer- 
tainly too great, or that the observations at the first five stations 
are all affected by a systematic error. 
This difference may arise from the method of observing over 
Shalivied threads at Cambridge, for the agreement of the ‘results 
ong themselves is very satisfactory ; but, whatever the canse 
of the discrepancy may be, it has not been deemed advisable to 
employ these values in obtaining the final result. 
mitting the results derived from the Cambridge obser semonee 
and also those inclosed in parentheses, and taking the m Ce) 
the remaining sixty results with regard to the computed eights, 
we have for a final result— 
a = 8"°953 + 07-019. 
This value of z is undoubtedly greater than would be assi igned 
by a large majorit ty of astronomers, but it, fairly represents what 
the method will give from such observations as were at hand for 
this vice ibe e H. A. N. 
trty-siath Annual Report of the Director ¥ the Astro- . 
nomical Aged atory of Harvard ge; Epwarp C. 
ICKERIN 6 pp. 8vo. Cambridge, 1882.—Professor Pickering’s 
Annual Re - gives a gratifying statement of the present con- 
dition of the Harvard Observatory, and of the work whic 
been accomplished there during the ae year. The brief sum- 
_ Mary of the work done includes: (1) a urge number of photometric 
observations of the eclipses of J npiter satellites; (2) observa- 
tions of stars having singular spectra—che spectra of all the stars 
north of —40° marked as red or colored in the Uranometria 
Argentina have been examined in the — telescope, and from 
this and also some miscellaneous sweeping, a list of about eighty 
ced having banded spectra has see? published ; (3) photometric 
udy of variable stars; (4) observations of the comets of 1881; 
(5) observations with the open Baste. and (6) with the meridian 
photometer. The distribution of time signals has been continued 
under the charge of Mr. F. Waldo until June 1, and since then o 
Mr. Edm 8; it is stated that the error is believed to ran ely 
exceed twortenths of a second in clear weather and four-tenths 
