The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-03-06

as for its present position, over the 9TH
er establishments OF the same Kind pos
sessed by the English. 1t was founded
in 1910, three years after the Observato-
ry of Paris. Charles III chose a locality
for the editioe on a hill commanding the
Thames and the passage of vessels, so
that his astronomers would be able, by
the study of the movements Of the heav-
ems, to direct the distant courses of
ships over the surface of the sea. The in
terest of the marine was in reality the
controlling motive that determined the
foundation OF this establishment. The
ordinance OF 1873 DEGREES that '"the as
tronomer royal shall devote his time to
rectifying the tables of celestial bodies
and the positions of the fixed stars in or
der to obtain the means of finding the
longitude at sea-"
To indicate In a precise manner the
position OF the stars, to predict with cer-
tainty the course OF the moon in relation
to these fixed data, is the great work re-
served for sedentary astronomy in the
progressive improvement OF the art OF
navigation. The heavens constitute, as
it were, a revolving dial l-plate, ON which
the moon, making her way from. star to
star, marks for the navigator the abso-
Lutte time, the time at Greenwich, while
furnishes the time of the place where he
chances to be, and it is by comparison
that he finds out his longitude, that is,
the meridian under which he is passing.
The regular and long-continued obser-
yatlon OF the fixed stars, sun and moon,
was then traditional in this illustrious
establishment of Greenwich, which has
had for directors sucn astronomers as
Flamsteed, Haley, Bradley, Maskelyne,
Pond, and George-Biddell Airy, who has
been director since 1885. 1t is there that
the first foundation Of modern astrono-
my has been laid, that is to say, the as
| tronomy of precision. Far from seeking
an easily-obtained glory in the discov-
cries, more brilliant than really impor-
tant, that strike the mind Of the crowd,
| the Greenwich astronomers have invari-
ably applied themselves to the laborious
investigation of those minutia upon
| which the edifee OF science reposes, and
where often the trace of great unknown
laws is revealed.
PETERSON.
Henry Peterson contributes an article
ON the Drying up of the Seas, in which
| he assumes that the great inland seas
are drying up and wasting away, and
consequently the presumption is that
the vast ocean itself is gradually drying
up. He says that Byron's lines about
| the unchangeableness OF old OCEAN
"Time writes no wrinkles on thine azure brow;
Such as creations dawn beheld, thou rollest
pow'
are not true. In an article on The True
Financial Policy, the contributor takes
| the ground that the currency should be
let alone, its volume neither increased
nor diminished, and the gradual expan-
sion of the business of the country will
ultimately bring it SO near the value of
gold, that we shall be able to glide al
most imperceptibly into specie pay
ments, if the latter should be found de-
sirable.
The stories are of the customary va.
riety.
| SANITARIAN.
| Contents as follows: Ventilation fol
Health; The Law of Fatigue; State
Boards of Health; Cure for Discomfort:
Brain Culture in Relation to the School
Room; Protecting Influence of the At
mosphere: Physical Culture; The Care
Of Canaries; Defective Drainage as
a Cause of Disease in the State OF
New York; Abattolrs and Drove Yards;
Ozone.
WOOD.
Scott Marvel serial entitled The Ad-
ventures of the Cad Club is brought to
an end. The short stories of the number
are good, the one on Sad Effects of For.
tune Telling being specially noteworthy.
The poetry is good, and the editorial and
miscellaneous departments have more
than the customary variety.