The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-11-16 00:00:00

£1357 6 6

The treasurer's accounts of the 9th instant have been
adopted by the General Committee. The members are re-
quested to double their subscriptions.

ESTIMATED POPULATION OF LIVERPOOL

A census of the population of the parish of Liverpool (in
eluding Everton, Edge-bill, and Toxteth,) Noy. 1838:
Protestants (including Wesleyans) 172,748
Papists
Dissenters
Infidels
• Unitarians (including Quakers)
Jews 1,190

243,189

LIVERPOOL MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.

LECTURES ON ASTRONOMY.

On Saturday evening Mr. John Wallis delivered his sixth
lecture.

Owing to the refraction of the atmosphere, we do not see
any celestial body in a direct line unless it be in the zenith,
and for this reason astronomical observations are generally
made when the orb is in that situation. Whenever we see
the snn or moon rising, it is oval, on account of the density
of the atmosphere near to the horizon, by which the lower
limb is more magnified than the upper. Owing to this re-
fractive power of the atmosphere, we see the celestial bodies
for a certain time before they rise and alter they set, the
consequence of which is a much longer day than we other-
wise should have. This refraction is so variable, that it per-
plexes astronomers more than any other circumstance in
astronomical calculations, as the atmosphere is more or less
dense at different periods. When the air is humid the re-
fraction is great, and the distortion of course more.
By means of parallax we arrive at the distance of objects,
and the manner :n which this iii done is very simple indeed—
nothing more than by a trigonometrical survey. Thus, if
vie look at an object from two different places, we shall cause
the object to make two different angles. Now what we mean
by parallax is the angle which two lines subtend at a certain
distance. It is evident that if we know the apparent mag-
nitude of a body and its apparent distance, we can get its
true distance. We know the distance of the moon by paral-
lax to be 240,000 miles, and by a very simple process we thus
find the diameter of the moon to be. in round numbers, 21,40
miles. A gentleman once called upon Herschel, and the
conversation turning upon the subject of getting at the mag-
nitude of bodies by parallax, he, not knowing anything about
astronomical science, said the thing was impossible. Now
Herschel had a transit instrument, to which he had an ex-
cellent nudiometer fitted. He said to his friend, " Cut a
piece of card of au} size, and take it to the bottom of my
garden. and if 1 do not tell you its dimensions to a hair's
breadth, I will give up the science of astronomy." A card
was taken and placed at the bottom of the garden, the astro-
nomer not. knowing the t4ize of it. Herschel then, by means
of his instruments, determined the size to a hair. The tnoon
on the average appears of the same magnitude as the sun;
therefore, as the parallax of the sun is only the 400th of the
moon, the sun's diameter must lie 400 times as great as that
of the moon. Owing to the distance of the sun, it is difficult
to obtain its parallax, as its diameter only subtends the 200th
part of a degree; but by watching the transit of the planet
Venus, which was done in 1785 by Dr. Halley, we have been
able to obtain it.

Mr. Wallis then proceeded to explain, by means of his
diagrams and other transparencies, the various modes by
which the parallax is determined, but which would he unin-
telligible to our readers in the absence of the diagrams
themselves. On Saturday Mr. W. terminated his course.
On Wednesday evening next, Mr. R. B. Haydon, the
celebrated and eccentric! painter, whose works are known
wherever the fame of British art has travelled, and whose
lectures at the Liver Theatre a few years ago excited such a
strong sensation in the town, commences a course of lectures
upon Painting. This course, we feel confident, will be well
attended, as no man living is better qualified to do justice to
his subject than Mr. Haydon.

LIBERAL DONATIONS.—We have pleasure in announcing
that Ralph Peters, Esq., of Southport, with his accustomed
liberality, has again become a donor to the cbarities of our
town, to which in the course of last week he has given the
following suns; Infirmary, £5O; Northern Hospital, £3O
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, £3O; Dispensary, £25;
Dist rict Provident, £25; Blue Coat Hospital, £25; Church of
&noand Schoo's, ; pi.jo Arylcup, £'2o; Mooraeldo
s.ChtPcqt ' •