SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
91 
Flora, in the Southern hemisphere, with the view of using- the same for a 
determination of the value of the solar parallax, I could not omit briefly to 
inform you that these observations have been carried out accordingly, and 
■have furnished a very satisfactory result. Thanks to the co-operation of 
three Southern Observatories (Gape of Good Hope, Melbourne, and Cor- 
doba), and nine observations in the Northern hemisphere, there have been so 
'many corresponding observations, that results for the parallax could be 
obtained from forty-three different comparison-stars. The mean differs very 
little from the Mars observations of 1862, and from the result of Newcomb 
(7r = 8 // -85). The definitive result, however, cannot be assigned for some 
months, on account of a number of discordant observations, in regard to 
which some inquiries must be made of the observers.”* 
Proposed Observatory at Bogota , South America. — M. Gonzalez, Director 
of the National Observatory of Columbia, has announced his intention 
to establish a Physical Astronomical Observatory at Bogota, the capital 
of that state, at an altitude of about 3,000 metres above the level of 
the sea, and in latitude 4° 33' N. On account of the transparency of 
the atmosphere, M. Gonzalez believes that this observatory will be most 
favourably situated for delicate observations, such as the spectrum analysis 
of the heavenly bodies, especially of the Sun, the Zodiacal Light, &c. He 
intends to give up the direction of the National Observatory, so that he 
may be able to devote his whole attention, free from the control of the 
Government authorities, to this peculiar class of physical observation. M. 
Gonzalez expressed a desire that his private observatory might be considered 
as, in some measure, a dependence of this Society and the British Associa- 
tion, and he would therefore be happy to receive any suggestions from the 
leading Fellows as to the best means of utilising the observations which he 
hopes to make in such an exceptionally elevated locality. He is most 
desirous to carry out any recommendations he may receive so far. as his 
resources will permit. 
Satellites of Uranus . — Professor Holden, of the Washington Observatory, 
after confirming by observations with the great 26-incli telescope the ele- 
ments assigned by Mr. Lassell to the two inner satellites of Uranus, has 
been at the pains to trace back the motions of these bodies, in order to see if 
either of them had been seen by Sir W. Herschel. He finds reason to be- 
lieve that Herschel saw both Ariel and Umbriel, and “ was in truth the disco- 
verer of Ariel and Umbriel, as well as of Titania and Oberon, but that he 
was unfortunately prevented from identifying the inner satellites because his 
telescope could not show them on two successive nights.” On this Mr. 
Lassell, entering “ on self-vindication reluctantly and even painfully,” as 
recognising that “ egotism is essentially ungrateful,” remarks : “I myself 
claim to be the original and only discoverer of these inner satellites, single- 
* It appears from Dr. Galle’s paper in the “ Astronomische Nachrichten,” 
No. 2012, that the result obtained from the whole of the forty-three stars is 
8"'923. He proposes to omit all the observations where the discordance 
exceeds Q"*75, which would give 8 //# 858 as the resulting value for the solar 
parallax from a comparison of the observations of the planet and thirty stars 
(fifteen in each hemisphere). This selection, however, is at present quite 
arbitrary. 
