The assumed First Meridian passes the middle of the illuminated disk at the following times:

Major and minor semi-axes ab of the apparent orbits of the inner satellites:

27′36 235 35′′12 302 4348 374 5574 479 7779 669 1742 July 14.

27.84 239 35'73 307 44:24 3·80 56·67 487 7915 680 17.72 July 24.

28.31 2.39 36 33 307 44'99 380 5763 4.87 80'49 6.81 18:02

The earth being now at the south side of the plane of the orbits, the apparent motion of the satellites is in the opposite direction to that of late years, the satellites moving from the superior conjunctions in pos. angle, 1838 (behind the ball) to their greatest eastern elongations in pos. 93°8, to their inferior conjunctions in pos. 3°.8 (in front of the ball), etc., or in the direction of decreasing position angles.

Approximate Greenwich times of some of the conjunctions of the satellites with the ends of the ring, and also of some of their greatest elongations:

nf. Sat. in conj. with following edge, north, moving towards the ball.

preceding
following south,
preceding "

at greatest eastern elongation.

1878. Gr. M. Time.

western

away from
towards

1878. Gr. M. Time.

On July 5 Iapetus reaches its greatest eastern elongation, and on July 25 its inferior conjunction, north of the planet.

A. MARTH.

Books Received.-Report of the Astronomer-Royal to the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. 1878.-Star Gauging, Past and Present. By J. Norman Lockyer, F R. S. London: Macmillan & Co. 1878.-The Electric Constitution of our Solar System. By Jacob Innes, Philadelphia. 1878.-Symon's British Rainfall, 1877. London: Edward Stanford.

1878.

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The Astronomical Begister.

No. 188.

AUGUST.

1878.

SUN-SPOTS AND THE WEATHER.

The Physical Observatory scheme is now a matter of history, by which it was pretended that the weather could be predicted from the sun-spots. Appeals from those interested in the matter were made to the public in the strongest language, through every channel to which the concoctors of the scheme had access, insisting upon the intimate connection between the sun and terrestrial meteorology; and urging that the one way to confer the power of vaticination upon meteorological science was to build and furnish a gigantic observatory at the cost of the nation.

It is instructive to note in the outset, that the claptrap uttered to this end, and with this intent, was, in the main, addressed to the unscientific public; an audience, as a rule, only too ready to listen with credulity to statements authoritatively made concerning subjects of which it is ignorant. Assuredly, though it failed to delude a single man of really high scientific position; and very notably was the idea scouted in the Royal Astronomical Society when an artful attempt was made to involve that body in a recommendation to the Government in its favour. In fact the disturbance which was subsequently made in that Society by certain members of the Physical Observatory party brought the whole matter so prominently into notice as (to some extent) to educate popular opinion in the matter; with the immediate result of scotching the observatory job for some time. It was, however, only scotched, and not really killed; for even up to this instant the persons interested in the matter do not seem to have lost hope of being able to fasten, like leeches, upon the national exchequer, and to help themselves to the

VOL. XVI.