196 
.Proceedings of the Royal Society 
Rosse’s ; infinitely more refined in its mounting, and requiring an 
almost uncountable number of photographic plates to represent 
everything it is capable of showing throughout the sky. 
By all means too, I would say, let him be furnished with such 
an instrument by any one who can afford it, for he will use it to 
excellent purpose, and it will be a noble monument of Great Britain ; 
— but do not insist on getting from Dr Gill, the work of so colossal 
an instrument, when you have only furnished him with a rather 
large Camera, of the portrait-taking order. 
The next and final photograph I have to show, was received 
lately from my friend Colonel A. T. Fraser, R.E., in charge of the 
public works at Trichinopoly, south of Madras. 
Though at first sight having nothing astronomical about it, it is 
surely, as he himself says by letter, — 
“A very remarkable photograph. It represents an immense, an 
almost countless collection of natives at Combaconam in the Tan- 
jore District, on the river Cauvery; where, once in every 12 years 
the Ganges of the North of India is said to flow into and fill a cer- 
tain built tank in the town. 
“ For that day, the 28th of February on this particular 12 year 
occasion of 1885, the Ganges itself loses its efficacy, and bathing in 
this tank is equally meritorious. Consequently vast numbers save 
a long journey, and avail themselves of the opportunity. And yet 
it is well known that the supply of the tank percolates from the 
Cauvery River close by. 
“Now why should I say that this photograph will be specially 
interesting to you ? 
“I asked a Brahmin, who in private tells me things now and 
then, what occasions the gathering? He replied it was the rising of 
the star ‘Mukkum,’ in Sanscrit, that brought such crowds on 
that particular day, and the rising only happens once in 12 years. 
“ So here you have hundreds of thousands of natives assembled 
to bathe in a tank in an out-of-the-way town, in consequence of the 
star ‘ Mukkum 5 having a peculiar position, that probably hardly 
any of them could define ; nor could in fact any of the crowd give 
an intelligible reason for being in the picture, except a few from 
curiosity or obligation. 
