Transactions of the APST for the Year 1894
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TRANSACTIONS OF THE Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto, FOR THE YEAR 1894, INCLUDING FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT. PRICE ONE DOLLAR. TORONTO: ROWSELL & HUTCHISON, Printers to the Society. 1895. CHARLES CARPMAEL, M. A. (CANTAB.) TRANSACTIONS OF THE Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto, FOR THE YEAR 1894, INCLUDING FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT. PRICE ONE DOLLAR. TORONTO: ROWSELL & HUTCHISON, Printers to the Society. 1895. CORRIGENDA. Transactions, 1S90, page 29, line S from bottom, for “ Jupiter ” read “ Neptune.” Transactions, 1891, page 5, line 11 from top, for “ B.C. 380 ” read “ B.C. 310.” Transactions, 1893, page 59, line 9 from top, for “ 7 p.m. ” read “ 11.15 p.m.” Transactions, 1893, page 67, line 3 from bottom, value of comp, log n' should be “ 2.2132633.” Transactions, 1894, page 16, line 3 from top, for “ 1.500th ” read “ l - 500th.” “ “ “ line 5, for “ 1.250th ” read “ l-250th.” Transactions, 1894, page 31, line 14 from top, for “ two angles” read “ three angles. ” TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE. Officers ............................................. .......................................... V Council ............................................. .......................................... V Life Members..................................... .......................................... V Honourary Members ...................... .......................................... VI Corresponding Members................... .......................................... VI Active Members and their Addresses .................................... VII Associate Members .......................... .................................... X An Evening with Jupiter................. Musson and others. 1 Force and E nergy.............................. ..................... Allen. 7 Collins and others. 9 Aurora of February 23rd.................................................. ................Copland. 13 Colour .............................................................................. .......................Hull. 17 Magnetic Stress ............................................................... ................... Collins. 25 Fallacies in Mathematics and Astronomy ..................... ................. Lindsay. 32 Earth Currents................................................................. .....................Abbe. 33 Magnetic Disturbances...................................................... ..............Carpmael. 34 Solar Parallax................................................................... ................Morrison. 38 Earth Currents...................................................... ....... ................Copland. 46 Meteorology ....................................................................... ................... Elvins. 47 Solar Prominences........................................................... ................. Hadden. 48 Dewar on the Liquefaction of Gases................................ ................. Harvey. 40 Development and Progress of Areas of Depression......... ....... .... Stupart. 53 South Polar Regions of Earth and Mars ........................ ................. Harvey. 61 Comets of Short Period .................................................. ............. Denning. 70 Spectrum of the Lightning F lash................................... ...................Elvins. 73 Form of the Aurora.......................................................... ....... Van Sommer. 73 The Nebular Hypothesis of La Place ............................ ................. Phillips. 74 The Chamberlin Observatory........................................... .............Miss Vale. 79 Spectroscopic Binary Stars ............................................ .......................Core. 81 The Transit of Mercury.................................................. ................Lindsay. 85 Construction of Reflecting Telescopes .......................... ....................Collins. 89 Adaptation of Telescope for Spectroscopic Observations ................... Keeler. 90 Meteorology ..................................................................... ................... Elvins. 99 Memorial to Professor Carpmael ................................... ............................... 101 Transit of Mercury, Observations................................... ............................... 103 Meridian Transit of Mercury.................... ................... .....................Blake. 103 iv The Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto. PAGE. Transit of Mercury .................................................................................Hadden. 104 “ Donaldson. 105 Lick Photographs of Lunar Craters ..................................... Peal. 107 Star Observations .............................................................................Donaldson. 111 Special Perturbations.............................................................................. Morrison. 112 Report of Earth Current Committee.................................. Stupart. 145 Earth Current Readings............................... Dickenson. 146 Progress of Astronomy in 1894................................................................Paterson. 148 Obituary.................................................................................................................. 164 Report of Joint Committee on Unification of Time ................................Appendix. Note—Authors are alone responsible for views expressed in papers or abstracts of papers published in this report. The Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto. Officers, 1895. Honourary President,—The HON. G. W. ROSS, LL.D., Minister of Education of the Province of Ontario. President,—LARRATT W. SMITH, D.C.L., Q.C. Vice-Presidents ,- {E. A. MEREDITH, LL.D. { J OHN A. PATERSON, M.A. Treasurer,—JAMES TODHUNTER, 85 Wellesley Street. Corresponding Secretary,—G. E. LUMSDEN, Parliament Buildings. Recording Secretary,—CHARLES P. SPARLING, 370 St. James’ Square. Assistant Secretary and Editor,—THOS. LINDSAY, 19 McGill Street. Librarian,—G. G. PURSEY, 189 McCaul Street. Assistants,— {MISS JEANE PURSEY. {MISS M. BAMBRIDGE. Foreign Correspondent,—JOHN A. COPLAND. Council. The HON. G. W. ROSS, LL.D., CHARLES P. SPARLING, LARRATT W. SMITH, D.C.L., Q.C., C. A. CHANT, B.A., E. A. MEREDITH, LL.D., D. J. HOWELL, JOHN A. PATERSON, M.A., A. HARVEY, F.R.S.C., JAMES TODHUNTER, R. F. STUPART, G. E. LUMSDEN, R ev. C. H. SHORTT, M.A. Life Members. ANDREW ELVINS, E sq., 11 St. Vincent Street, Toronto. JOHN GOLDIE, Esq., Galt, Ontario. LARRATT W. SMITH, E sq., D.C.L., Q.C., 96 Summerhill Avenue, Toronto. Ex-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Toronto. LADY WILSON, Spadina Crescent, Toronto. VI The Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto. Honourary Members. SIR ROBERT STAWELL BALL, Kt., F.R.S., F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Lowndean Professor of Astronomy, King's College, Cambridge, England. WM. HENRY MAHONEY CHRISTIE, F.R.S., F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Astronomer Royal, Greenwich, England. GEORGE HOWARD DARWIN, M.A., LL.D. (Glasgow), D.Sc. (Dublin), Dr. Phil. Nat. (Padua), F.R.S., F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Plum ian Professor of Astronomy and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, England. SANDFORD FLEMING, C.E., C.M.G., LL.D., Etc., Etc., Chancellor of Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. PROFESSOR EDWARD S. HOLDEN, LL.D., For. Asso. R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Director of the Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, California, U.S.A. WILLIAM HUGGINS, D.C.L. (Oxon.), LL.D. (Cantab. Edin. e t Dubl.), Ph.D. (Lugd. Bat.), F.R.S., F.R.A.S., Hon. F.R.S.E., Etc., Etc., Cor. L 'Institut de France, 90 Upper Tulse Hill, London, S.W., England. PROFESSOR DANIEL KIRKWOOD, LL.D., Etc., Etc., Riverside, California, U.S.A. SAMUEL PIER PONT LANGLEY, LL.D., F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. JOSEPH MORRISON, M.A., M.D., Ph.D,, F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., 116 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, D.C. PROFESSOR SIMON NEWCOMB, LL.D., For. Assso. R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Cor. L'Institut de France, Etc., Etc., Superintendent of the American Nautical Almanac Office, Washington, D.C. PROFESSOR EDWARD CHARLES PICKERING, LL.D., Etc., Etc., Director Harvard College Observatory, Cambridge, Mass. M. OTTO STRUVE, Late Director o f the Imperial Observatory, Pulkowa, Russia. PROFESSOR DOCTOR HENRY C. VOGEL, Etc., Etc., Director o f the Astrophysical Observatory, Potsdam, Germany. Corresponding Members. S. W. BURNHAM, M.A., F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. MISS AGNES M. CLERKE, 6S Redcliffe Sq., London, S.W., England. W. F. DENNING, F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Bishopston, Bristol, England. THE REVEREND T. E. ESPIN, M.A., F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., Director of the Wolsingham Observatory, Tow Law, Darlington, England. J. ELLARD GORE, F.R.A.S., M.R.I.A., Etc., Etc., Ballysodare, Ireland. PROFESSOR G. E. HALE, Director of the Kenwood Physical Observatory, Etc., Etc., University of Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. M. PAUL HENRY, The Observatory, Paris, France. The Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto. VII J. H. KEDZIE, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A. JAMES EDWARD KEELER, D.Sc., Etc., Etc., Professor of Astronomy in the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Allegheny Observatory, Allegheny, Pa. W. F. KING, C.E., D. L.S., Etc., Etc., Government Astronomer, Ottawa, Ont. EDWARD WALTER MAUNDER, F.R.A.S., Etc., Etc., First-Class Physical Assistant, Greenwich Observatory, London. PROFESSOR CLEMENT HENRY McLEOD, Ma.E., F.R.S.C., M. Can. Soc. C.E., Superintendent of McGill College Observatory, Montreal, P.Q. S. E. PEAL, F.R.G.S., Sibsagar, Asam, India. WILLIAM H. PICKERING,