Miscellaneous Intelligence. 339 
feared from the ocean fogs, as they seldom reach this elevation. 
Nearly every night, commencing at or soon after sunset, this fog 
comes in from the Pacific at the Golden Gate on the north, and 
the Bay of Monterey on the south, and covers the whole valley, 
between the base of Mt. Hamilton and the coast range, with a 
dense mass of vapor, resembling, when seen from above, a great 
white sea, the tops of the lower hills standing up through it like 
islands. Ordinarily it is perhaps 2,000 feet lower than the summit 
of Mt. Hamilton. ‘It does not appear to have any effect on the 
seeing so long as it is below the summit.” 
He adds the following from a communication to him from Prof. 
ee Davidson, of the United States Coast Survey: 
“cc 
ear 
experienced at the east 
sun, and the nebule, are absolutely new presentations to the 
observer, and are capable of the most searching and minu 
measurem Moreover, at the great heights, the thermometer 
storms of wind and snow at 10,600 feet, in a remarkably exposed 
situation, | am sure that an observatory would be as perfectly 
safe there as at lower elevations. 
“There is of course more moisture in the atmosphere in the wet 
e Trustees announce that the observatory will soon be in 
workin 
2. Fiftieth Meeting of the British Association, at Swansea, 
Aug. 25th.—Prof. Ramsay, on taking the Presidential chair, gave 
his inaugural ess. His subject was “The recurrence of cer- 
