TRANSACTIONS O F T H E Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto, FOR THE YEAR 1895, INCLUDING SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. p r i c e O N E d o l l a r . TORONTO: ROWSELL & HUTCHISON, Printers to the Society. 1896. TRANSACTIONS O F T H E Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto, FOR THE YEAR 1895, INCLUDING SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. p r i c e O N E d o l l a r . TORONTO: ROWSELL & HUTCHISON, Printers to the Society. 1896. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE. Officers............................................................... ............................................. ........ v Council ........................................................................................................................ V Life Members................................................................................................................ v Honourary Members ................................................................................................ vi Corresponding Members............................................................................................. vi Active Members and their Addresses ..................................................................... vn Associate Members ................ x Opening Address.............................................................................. The President. I Star Clusters and Nebulae ........................................... Mrs. Savigny and others. 2 The Winnebago Meteor....................................................................................Harvey. 7 Naked Eye Observations of Mercury ..................................................Donaldson. 9 The Spectra of the Nebulae............................................................................ Miller. 9 Lunar Eclipse, March 10, Observations ................................................................. 20 Parhelion, March 14 .................................................................................Lumsden. 23 Earthquake and Volcanic Phenomena........................................................... Elvins. 24 Auroral Observations at St. James’ B a y .............................................Newnham. 25 Auroral Displays................................................................................ Van Sommer. 27 Coincidence of Spectral Lines, Argon and Nebulae ....................................Miller. 33 Behaviour of Minerals at very high Temperatures.................................... Harvey. 35 The Oblique Cassegrain...............................................................................Shearmen. 36 Earth Current Committee ........................................................................... Stupart. 40 Dark Spot on Jupiter ............................................................................. Donaldson. 41 The British Association ......................................... The Honourary President. 43 Telescopes at the Public Schools .........................................................Miss Gray. 46 Newspaper Extravagancies...........................................................................Sparling. 46 The Opera-Glass Section............................................................................................ 47 The Lunar Section...................................................................................................... 49 Notes on Library Indexing ......................................................................... Musson. 50 Observations of Venus..................................................... Z. M. Collins and others. 51 Observations of Saturn.......................................................................... Wadsworth. 52 Drawing of Saturn ................................................................................ Miss Brook. 53 Solar Observations ......................................................................................... Pursey. 53 Historical Sketch of the Greenwich Nautical Almanac ........................Lindsay. 53 The Chemistry of Steel Making ..............................................................Meredith. 62 The Moon’s Present Condition.......................................................................Elvins. 65 The Conservation of A reas...........................................................................Phillips. 70 The Perseids..................................... ...........................................Musson and others. 71 IV The Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto. PAGE Section of Saturn’s Ring ....................................................................................Harvey. 71 Spectroscopic Observations of Saturn ...............................................................Keeler 72 Unification of Time, Reports from Foreign N a tio n s ........... .................................. 73 C ontrast between Lunar and Terrestrial F e a tu re s .......................................H arvey. 80 Lunar Eclipse, September 3-4 .................................................................... .................. 93 The British Association ................................................................................McCallum. 94 Unification of Time, Third Report of the Joint-Committee ............................... 95 Solar Observations ............................................................................................ Hadden. 100 Observations of V enus ........................................ Harvey. 103 The Rings of Saturn and the Nebular Hypothesis...... ... ........................ Phillips. 104 The Society’s removal to Technical School Building ............................................... 108 Some Notes on Celestial Photography ..................................................... Lumsden. 109 Electrical Radiation (Public Lecture) ..............................................................Chant. 128 Notes on Lunar Study ......................................................... Wadsworth and others. 141 Canals of M ars ............................................................................................ Copland. 142 Unification of T im e ............................................................................. .Greenwood. 145 Mountings for large Reflectors .......................................................................Turnbull. 146 Theories of G ravitation .......................................................................................Collins. 147 Sixth Annual M eeting........................................................................................................ 162 Officers’ Annual R e p o rts.................................................................................................... 162 Election of Officers, 1896............................................................... 163 Resolutions in re Retiring Off icers ........................................ ...................................... 163 Report of the Earth Current Committee ...... ..............................................Stupart. 164 The Progress of Astronomy in 1895 .................................................The President. 166 The Meaford Astronomical Society ................................................................. Appendix . [Authors are alone responsible for views expressed in papers or abstracts of papers published in the Transactions.] The Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto. Officers, 1896. Honourary President,—The HON. G. W. ROSS, LL.D., Minister of Education of the Province of Ontario. President,-JOHN A. PATERSON, M.A. Vice-Presidents,—ARTHUR HARVEY, F.R.S.C. R. F. STUPART, Director Toronto Magnetic Observatory. 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, Technical School. Librarian,—W . B. MUSSON, 145 Howland Avenue. Assistant Librarian,—MISS JEANE PURSEY. Foreign Correspondent,—JOHN A. COPLAND. Council. The HON. G. W. ROSS, LL.D., CHARLES P. SPARLING, LARRATT W. SMITH, D.C.L., Q.C., G. E. LUMSDEN, E. A. MEREDITH, LL.D., A. T . De LURY, B.A., JOHN A. PATERSON, M.A., C. A. CHANT, B.A., A. HARVEY, F.R.S.C., ANDREW ELVINS, R. F. STUPART, Rev. C. H. SHORTT, M .A., JAMES TODHUNTER, J. R. COLLINS, G. G. PU R SEY . Life Members. ANDREW ELVINS, E sq., 11 St. Vincent Street, Toronto. JOHN GOLDIE, E sq., Galt, Ontario. LARRATT W. SMITH, E sq., D.C.L., Q.C., 96 Sunimerhill Avenue, Toronto, Ex-Vice-Chancellor o f 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., Plumian 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. et Dubl.), Ph.D. (Lugd. Bat.), F.R.S., F.R.A.S., Hon. F.R.S.E., Etc., Etc., Cor. L’lnstitut de France, 90 Upper Tulse Hill, London, S. W., England. JAMES EDWARD KEELER, D.Sc., Etc.,