﻿Obituary. 
  81 
  

  

  (American 
  Book 
  Company). 
  — 
  This 
  new 
  elementary 
  text-book, 
  in 
  

   a 
  department 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  teacher 
  has 
  thus 
  far 
  had 
  but 
  little 
  

   choice 
  open 
  to 
  him, 
  can 
  be 
  heartily 
  commended. 
  The 
  author's 
  

   practical 
  experience 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  Weather 
  Bureau 
  has 
  

   aided 
  him 
  in 
  presenting 
  the 
  fundamental 
  facts 
  and 
  principles 
  of 
  

   the 
  science 
  clearly 
  and 
  systematically 
  and 
  with 
  all 
  needed 
  illus- 
  

   tration. 
  The 
  treatment 
  is 
  brief, 
  as 
  must 
  necessarily 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  

   in 
  a 
  book 
  so 
  limited 
  in 
  size, 
  but 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  im- 
  

   paired 
  the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  the 
  statements. 
  Detailed 
  descriptions 
  of 
  

   instruments 
  have 
  been 
  wisely 
  omitted. 
  The 
  figures 
  are 
  numerous 
  

   and 
  good. 
  

  

  4. 
  Ihe 
  Meteor 
  of 
  December 
  Jfth. 
  — 
  A 
  meteor, 
  of 
  unusual 
  size 
  and 
  

   brilliancy, 
  was 
  observed 
  from 
  numerous 
  points 
  in 
  southern 
  New 
  

   England 
  and 
  New 
  York 
  on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  December 
  4th, 
  shortly 
  

   after 
  half 
  past 
  four 
  o'clock. 
  An 
  observer 
  id 
  Brooklyn 
  (Mr. 
  Gus- 
  

   tav 
  Mtiller) 
  gives 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  appearance 
  as4 
  h 
  41*l 
  m 
  , 
  the 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  E.N.E., 
  and 
  the 
  course 
  nearly 
  vertical 
  downward 
  with 
  a 
  

   slight 
  curvature 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  from 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  50° 
  to 
  20° 
  when 
  

   it 
  disappeared, 
  apparently 
  obscured 
  by 
  clouds. 
  He 
  estimated 
  the 
  

   duration 
  as 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  seconds 
  ; 
  the 
  form 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  elon- 
  

   gated 
  ovoid; 
  a 
  bluish 
  or 
  greenish 
  tinge 
  of 
  color 
  in 
  the 
  blazing 
  

   mass 
  was 
  noted. 
  From 
  New 
  Haven, 
  Conn., 
  the 
  meteor 
  appeared 
  at 
  

   sensibly 
  the 
  same 
  hour 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  about 
  E.S.E.; 
  the 
  same 
  brilliant 
  

   color 
  was 
  noted, 
  but 
  the 
  sky 
  was 
  partially 
  obscured 
  by 
  clouds. 
  

   The 
  observations 
  recorded 
  suggest 
  that 
  the 
  mass 
  may 
  have 
  fallen 
  

   in 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound. 
  

  

  Obituary. 
  

  

  Benjamin 
  Apthorp 
  Gould. 
  In 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Gould, 
  which 
  

   occurred 
  at 
  his 
  home 
  in 
  Cambridge, 
  Mass., 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  

   November 
  ti, 
  1896, 
  science 
  has 
  suffered 
  a 
  heavy 
  loss. 
  Though 
  for 
  

   the 
  past 
  two 
  years 
  his 
  health 
  had 
  been 
  seriously 
  impaired 
  from 
  the 
  

   effects 
  of 
  an 
  accident, 
  he 
  was 
  still 
  able 
  to 
  accomplish 
  an 
  amount 
  

   of 
  work 
  which 
  might 
  have 
  satisfied 
  many 
  younger 
  men 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  

   enjoyed 
  the 
  capacity 
  to 
  work 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  day 
  of 
  his 
  death. 
  

  

  Benjamin 
  Apthorp 
  Gould 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  Boston, 
  September 
  7, 
  

   1 
  824. 
  Descended 
  from 
  a 
  line 
  of 
  educated 
  men, 
  he 
  was 
  carefully 
  

   trained 
  in 
  the 
  classics 
  and 
  the 
  humanities. 
  During 
  his 
  whole 
  life 
  

   he 
  continued 
  to 
  cultivate 
  his 
  mind 
  with 
  the 
  wit 
  and 
  philosophy 
  of 
  

   all 
  ages, 
  wherein 
  he 
  seemed 
  to 
  find 
  his 
  keenest 
  enjoyment. 
  Joined 
  

   to 
  these 
  attainments 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  accomplished 
  linguist 
  ; 
  thus 
  

   he 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  ripe 
  and 
  accurate 
  scholarship, 
  but 
  he 
  

   was 
  a 
  cosmopolitan 
  as 
  well. 
  

  

  Soon 
  after 
  his 
  graduation 
  from 
  Harvard 
  College 
  in 
  1844, 
  he 
  

   spent 
  about 
  three 
  years 
  in 
  Europe, 
  visiting 
  in 
  turn 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  astronomical 
  observatories, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  obtain 
  instruc- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  astronomy 
  from 
  the 
  acknowledged 
  masters 
  of 
  that 
  science. 
  

   Thus 
  he 
  acquired 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  professional 
  training, 
  

   but 
  he 
  was 
  also 
  enabled 
  to 
  transplant 
  to 
  this 
  country 
  the 
  inherited 
  

   traditions 
  of 
  astronomical 
  science, 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  valuable 
  in 
  obtain- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  proper 
  perspective 
  over 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  astronomy 
  and 
  as 
  an 
  

   aid 
  to 
  the 
  guidance 
  of 
  its 
  future. 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sol— 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  No. 
  13.— 
  January, 
  1897. 
  

   6 
  

  

  