al 
May 9, 1884.] 
is taken by Lancaster as a fitting occasion for 
the preparation of a neat compendium of rain- 
records for all Belgium. The longer series, 
besides Brussels, are forty-three years at 
Ghent, thirty-five at Liége, twenty-three for 
Ostende, and twenty for Les Waleffes. ‘The 
entire list, prepared for the end of 1882, con- 
tains one hundred and twenty-seven stations, 
with an average record of four and a half 
years ; but of these, thirty-eight are for only 
one year, and sixty are for two years or less. 
At present the observatory receives the re- 
sults attained at over two hundred stations. 
The chief general conclusions, which, unfortu- 
nately, are not shown either by map or dia- 
gram, are as follows: along the littoral low- 
lands an annual fall of about 650 millimetres, 
Tising to a maximum in the highlands of the 
Ardennes (altitude about 400 metres) of from 
900 to 1,100 millimetres. For 1882, rain and 
altitude of station are thus related : — 
Below 10 m. 825 mm. | 200 to 400 m. . 1,220 mm. 
Wtol00 “. Sims 400 to 700 ‘* 4. lpi) 9 
100 to.200 **. 
eIEOZ0) <° | 
According to seasons, the ratios are, winter, 
100; spring, 95; summer, 129; autumn, 119. 
Along the coast the maximum is in autumn: 
in the interior, itis in summer. Heavy rains 
occur chiefly in the summer. In Brussels, 
since 1853, there have been sixty-nine records 
of 25 to 50 millimetres of rain in a day, thirty- 
four of these being in June, July, and August. 
A general increase in the annual rainfall is 
suspected since 1865, the evidence being as 
follows : — 
Ghent 1338-64, 753 mm. | Ghent 1865-82, 981 mm. 
Brussels . 1833-64, 700 ** Brussels . 1865-82, 778 ‘ 
Liége . 1847-64, 743 * Liége . 1865-82, 796 ** 
The sun-spot cycle does not find strong con- 
firmation from the records at Brussels. 
Minimum. Maximum. Difference. 
1833 . 646 mm.| 1837 - 714 mm. 68 mm. 
me... .736 “ | 1848 . 750 * 4 « 
ives » =. O10 *8 1860 . 6 Gb), OG Psy 
1867 7 Oo 2 © 1870 . stone oe 55) 
1378 SIS) 1882 4 Soe oe Go 
The little volume is chiefly valuable as bring- 
ing the older records up to time, and preparing 
for future work with the greatly increased 
number of stations of the past few years. 
SCIENCE. 
581 
A NEW ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL. 
Bulletin astronomique, publié sous les auspices de 
l’ Observatoire de Paris. Par M. F. Tiss—ERAND. 
Tome i., No. i., Janvier. Paris, Gauthier- Vil- 
lars, 1884. G64p. 8°. 
Tue great number of new observatories in 
France now beginning active work has ren- 
dered a publication of this character a neces- 
sary adjunct of the labors of the astronomers 
of that country; and it will embrace two dis- 
tinct parts, the first of which will contain the 
late observations made at the French observa- 
tories, ephemerides of planets and comets, and 
memoirs and notices relating to various topics 
in theoretical and practical astronomy. ‘The 
second part is to be devoted to notices of current 
astronomical news, and a résumé of the chief 
periodical publications and of memoirs. This 
latter feature is a most fortunate one, and will 
make the Bulletin a desideratum in all observa- 
tories and scientific libraries. The special peri- 
odicals embraced in the revue of the January 
Bulletin are the Monthly notices of the Royal 
astronomical society, The observatory, the Si- 
dereal messenger, the American journal of 
science, Copernicus, and the <Astronomische 
nachrichten. ‘The first part of the same num- 
ber contains a brief paper by Tisserand, on the 
theory of the motion of the small planet Pallas, 
followed by observations of the satellites of 
Mars and Neptune by the Henrys, of the comet 
Pons-Brooks by Bigourdan and Perigaud,—all 
these at the Paris observatory, — and observa- 
tions of the latter object by Trépied, at Alger ; 
ephemerides of the small planets Mnemosyne, 
Diana, Alemene, and Parthenope ; and is con- 
cluded ‘with the first part of a paper by 
Schulhof and Bossert, on the late return of 
the comet of 1812. Appended to the January 
Bulletin, under the head of Variétés, are, a 
paper on les phénomeénes crépusculaires, by 
Radau; the comets and planets of 1883, by 
Bigourdan ; and the new observatory of Rio 
de la Plata. ; 
It would be a matter of the greatest interest 
to those engaged in new and original research, 
if a department relating to unpublished inves- 
tigations could be added to the Bulletin. Brief 
notes in such a department, relating to work 
already in hand, its progress at various stages, 
and to projected research, the material for 
which may be in process of accumulation only, 
would be likely to lead to a more effective 
and happy state of co-operation among astron- 
omers and observatories than now exists. 
The Bulletin astronomique is published from 
the press of Gauthier-Villars, and is gotten up 
in the attractive style, and with that good typo- 
