6 
Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. 
SESS. 
valence of which a temperate flora and fauna clothed and peopled 
northern and north-western Europe. Finally another glacial relapse 
— the fifth — took place, when small local glaciers appeared in the 
higher mountain valleys of this and other temperate latitudes. It 
was shown that this remarkable alternation of cold and genial 
climates characterised central as well as northern Europe — the glacial 
and interglacial deposits of the Alps telling precisely the same tale. 
Leaving the subject of geology — on which I have dwelt, perhaps, 
too long, in consequence of this year being regarded as the centenary 
of Hutton, and from that science being so much identified with the 
reputation of this Society — I proceed to advert to a remarkable 
celestial event, which will make this year memorable in the annals 
of astronomy, — the appearance of a new star, known as Nova 
Aurigae. This star was discovered by that able observer the Eev. 
Thomas D. Anderson, D.Sc. in classical philology, a citizen of 
Edinburgh, who communicated his discovery, which was destined to 
make a sensation in the astronomical world, to Dr Copeland, our 
Astronomer-Koyal, in an anonymous postcard. Dr Anderson stated 
at a meeting of this Society that his discovery was made with 
the aid of a pocket telescope, magnifying not more than ten times, 
and with *a small star-atlas. Papers by our Astronomer-Eoyal, 
Dr Copeland, and his assistant. Dr Becker, in reference to 
this celestial visitant, have been read during the past session, 
and these two astronomers have given an elaborate drawing of its 
spectrum. 
Dr Anderson also discovered, independently, a new comet in the 
girdle of Andromeda, but he was anticipated by some hours 
in this discovery by Mr Holmes, an English amateur astronomer, 
and the comet wall accordingly bear the name of the English 
observer. 
Mr John Aitken, of Ealkirk, like Dr Anderson, has done much 
valuable scientific work with but limited instrumental means. Last 
session he contributed a paper on “ The number of Dust Particles 
in the Atmosphere, and on the Delation between the amount of 
Dust and Meteorological Phenomena,” being the last of his interest- 
ing commxunications on this subject. 
Our General Secretary ga\^e us a continuation of his papers on the 
Kinetic Theory of Gases, a recondite subject requiring for its sue- 
