SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
203 
and the theory that the stars are distributed with any uniformity, either as 
to space or dimensions, is not in accordance with the teaching of that chart 
which I now beg to lay before the Society.” The results obtained by Mr. 
Waters, in fact, confirm very effectively the views indicated by Mr. Proctor. 
By the way, we have been asked whether at p. 98 of our last number, 
correct dates are assigned to Mr. Proctor’s papers on stellar distribution, as, 
if so, he cannot have borrowed from M. Flcimmarion. u It will go near to 
he thought so, shortly.” The dates are correct. 
Cyclonic Arrangement of the Solar Granules. — The splendid solar photo- 
graphs taken by Dr. Janssen at Meudon show among other interesting fea- 
tures a tendency of the solar granules to arrange themselves in a spiral form, 
accompanied by more or less loss of distinctness of outline of the individual 
granules, an appearance suggesting great cyclonic disturbance of the part of 
the solar atmosphere in which these bodies lie. Mr. Huggins puts on record 
a similar appearance observed by him telescopically in 1866. His notes, 
made at the time, run thus : 11 Saw distinctly the granules. A spiral band 
of closely associated granules, ending in one of larger size. In one area near 
the centre of the sun’s disc the granules appeared more elongated than usual, 
rather sparsely scattered, and the larger diameters very nearly in the same 
direction. In neighbouring areas the granules were smaller and less elon- 
gated. Amongst these no general direction was observed.” 
The Fright Line Spectra of Irresolvable Star Clusters. — Mr. Stone gives 
an explanation of his remarkable paper on this subject (recently communicated 
to the Royal Society), from which it appears that Professor Stokes and 
Messrs. Huggins and Proctor altogether misapprehended the purport of Mr. 
Stone’s communication. His earlier statement ran thus : “ The sun is known 
to be surrounded by a gaseous envelope of very considerable extent. Similar 
envelopes must surround the stars generally. Conceive a close stellar cluster. 
Each star, if isolated, would be surrounded by its own gaseous envelope. 
These gaseous envelopes might, in the case of a cluster, form over the whole 
or a part of the cluster a continuous mass of gas. So long as such a cluster 
was within a certain distance from us, the light from the stellar masses 
would predominate over that of the gaseous envelopes. The spectrum 
would, therefore, be an ordinary stellar spectrum. Suppose such a cluster 
to be removed further and further from us. The light from each star would 
be diminished in the proportion of the inverse square of the distance ; but 
such would not be the case with the light from the enveloping surface 
formed by the gaseous envelopes.” And so forth. It was mistakenly sup- 
posed by the trio above named that Mr. Stone was here refening to effects 
produced by varieties of distance ; but it appears he was considering really 
the effects of the physical aggregation of such clusters. “ The clusters which 
I had under contemplation were physical clusters, and this isolation of the 
gaseous surroundings would be, under suitable conditions, destroyed by the 
relative gravitation and heating effects of the several members of the system. 
It is to such a cluster only that my reasoning applies ; and I think such will 
be seen to be the case if my paper is carefully read,” — “ between the lines,” 
he should have added. We would not for a moment question Mr. Stone’s 
statement that his meaning was that which he now indicates. There can be 
nothing more discourteous and there are few things more unjust than to 
