E. §. Holden—Measures of the Rings of Saturn. 38 
“1 
Art. XLV.—WMeasures of the Rings of Saturn in the years 1879, 
1880, 1881 and 1882; by Epwarp S. HoLpEN 
s memoir entitled Recherches sur Saturne, ses anneaux et 
Ses + satelite (1880), Mr. W. Meyer gives the results of his recent 
servations with the 10-inch “equatorial of the Geneva Observ- 
ary, 
ot of these results will not be received without criticism, 
e they go to show that the ball of Saturn is excentrically 
aaited | in the ring-system, and that the breadth of this system 
is not alike on the two sides. Specifically M. Meyer says, “je 
regarde done comme établi par les observations qu’ a l'époque 
ou elles ont été faites, la largeur de Vanneau de Saturne a été 
plus forte a son cété ouest, et que le centre méme de la planéle état 
plus prés de lextrémité est de lanneau que Vautre.” The results 
of his measures are given in table XI of his memoir, ea ina 
table which accompanies the present note. 
In order to make observations of this class readily compar- 
able I have adopted a simple nomenclature whic 4 will cover all 
possible measures which can be made on Saturn. I have em- 
ployed this in an extended examination of all the published 
drawings of Saturn known to me; and I take this opportunity 
of asking for a notice of the existence of rare drawings of 
Saturn, of those privately printed, and so forth. This system 
is shown in connection with a drawing of Saturn which was 
made at this observatory, 1881, November 27. The letters at 
the a of the drawing relate to points along the major axis 
of the rin 
a is saa east end of the major axis. 
6 is the pencil line so-called (seen Nov. 27, 1881). It is too 
eset te the cut. 
ale —THIRD ar VoL, XXIII, No, 187.—May, 1882. 
