Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 79 



solved into fine lines, I found analogous results for hyponitrous acid, 

 the vapour of iodine, bromine, &c. 



These facts were announced to the Philomathic Society of Paris 

 in December 1864; they are contained in the Comptes Rendus and 

 in various scientific journals. 



Since then my communications have always been to the same effect. 

 Thus in 1864 I said, summing up my observations in the Alps, "All 

 these observations have shown me that aqueous vapour in the shape 

 cf cloud or of atmospheric vapour did not appear to act, but that it 

 is aqueous vapour as elastic fluid which plays an important part in 

 the production of the telluric rays of the solar spectrum." (Comptes 

 Rendus, Jan. 30, 1865.) 



It is thus seen that I am far from attributing to aqueous vapour 

 all the telluric rays of the solar spectrum ; I have, on the contrary, 

 always thought that all the gases of the atmosphere had their part 

 in the phenomenon — a part which for some would be very difficult 

 to ascertain, but which must in principle exist. 



In the course of my investigations I have frequently been able to 

 observe in very cold weather differences between the relative in- 

 tensities of the telluric rays, those of aqueous origin becoming feebler 

 than the others*. These distinctions are met with on my maps; 

 but I think it would be premature, before publishing the spectrum of 

 aqueous vapour, which I am now obtaining by a sure experiment, to 

 discuss the origin of any special line. — Comptes Rendus , Oct. 29, 1866. 



NOTE, BY MESSRS. DE LA RUE, STEWART, AND LOEWY, ON THE 

 DISTRIBUTION OF SOLAR SPOTTED AREAS IN HELIOGRAPHIC 

 LATITUDE. 



In a paper which is now being printed, and which forms the 

 second series of our Researches on Solar Physics, we have investi- 

 gated the relation between solar activity and the ecliptical longitude 

 of the planets ; and as a result we believe that we have discovered 

 a connexion between the behaviour of sun-spots and the longitudes 

 of Venus and Jupiter. 



We have under consideration another branch of this research, 

 which, however, cannot be completed for some time ; but as the 

 results already obtained seem to be of interest at the present 

 moment, we venture to lay them before the Royal Astronomical 

 Society. 



Mr. Carrington, it is well known, has given in his most interest- 

 ing volume on the sun a diagram exhibiting the distribution in helio- 

 graphic latitude of sun-spots from time to time. Now, if Venus 

 and Jupiter have an influence on solar activity, it might reasonably 

 be conjectured that when these planets crossed the solar equator 



* But I have never found any spectral line more pronounced in winter 

 than in summer, which would be opposed to the general principle that the 

 elective absorption of gases diminishes with the temperature. It is pro- 

 bable that M. Angstrom has committed an error of estimation, which is very 

 difficult to avoid (as I have convinced myself) when the spectra compared 

 cannot be made to have the same luminous intensity. 



