Page:Science vol. 5.djvu/181

 ■bbdart sj, isas.]

��Mtarn waa nuule from every quarter-point of the compBti teveral times {my recunis show this more ■ticuratelf |. Hy oilier observations of similar charac- ter were alcunp on Terror Bay. and al Reindeer Camp

��firmly believe the obsrrvatiouB luffipieutlyi uy, in tio rougli way, that iu 1S7U the north magnetic pole wa« between these two meridians, with Its lati- lUiIe quite undetermined.

In the fnll of 18S0 I publiilied a small note about


 * '■ iniereating point, in which the above appeai'ed,

1 al«o a few calcuUlions regarding the westward

_ le of progrem, which I cannot giva from memory,


 * [ tblnk that the iherraometric observations close to


 * ■ district, straggling and interrupted though they

"" go far to prove that the magnetic pole, and

I minimum depression, are Identical, or nearly

Fbbd'k Schwatka.

W.york Clly, Veb. 9.

��I Total ecllpae of the s

��1 in AnguBt, 1886.

��, Itt the year ISStt, Ang. 23-2t), will occur an eclipse

irftbe sun.wbose maximum duratioji of totality i^ over

six minutes of lime.. Opportunities like these for

the study of eolar physics are sufficiently rare for

astronomers to be always eager to Improve tbem

whenever It is deemed practicable. Although the

— — nimstances of this eclipse arc found upon exam-

Uon to be beset with peculiar difficulties, still it

J not be amiss to make u statement of them, that

— — i possibilities of its observation may be clearly

Wimii/ienlood.

In this eclipse the axis of the moon's shadow, soon after touching the earth, passes very near or through the following islands, — Los Itoqtics, Orchilla, Ulan- Qiiilla, Grenada, and CBriBi;oa. — which are some of the Wiudward Islands wblcli skirt the northern coast of South America. From this point the shadow sweeps across the broad Atlantic, and touches no land until it reaches the African coast at Benguela, which place lies almost exactly on the centra! line.

By examination of the chart of ibis eclipse, pub- lished by the 'American ephemeris,'lt will be seen Uiat the totality will occur only about half an iiour after sunrise at the most favorable station in the Weat Indies, with a duration of totality of about three and a half inluutes. On the African coalt the duration of totality is about four and a half minutes, ■ad the allitude of the sun is amply sufBcient for favorable observation,

Bengnela is about four hundred miles south of the mouth of the Kongo, and about two hundred miles south of the mouth of the Soanza. The climate of the lowlands bordering the coast near Benguela is fatally unhealthy for strangers, making it compul-

17, an the score of prudence, for an observing party penetrate the interior sufliclently to attain the ittntalnous highlands which lie not far inland. rhe American hoard of commissioners for foreign ■dons has (or some three years occupied two taion-statlons in this region; vis., Ballumlu, about iundred and thirty miles eastward from Benguela, 3 Blbe. about seventy miles south-cast from Bai- idu. Through the courtesy of Kev. Judson Smith, D., secretary of the American board, and Mr. Frederick A. Walter, secretary of this west-central African mission, I have received definite statements of some of the precautions necessary, and some of e difflculties to be encountered by an observing jtty locating in this region. I will give In brief p points wiui which Mr. Walter favors uf.

��m

��Dangers to the person from savages are not to be apprehended. The climate of Bailundu and vlcluity Is exceedingly salubrious. During a residence of nearly tliree years, Mr. Walter and his family have experienced no illness to be ascribed directly to the climate, but in every case to overwork, over-ex- posure to ilie sun, or want of proper food.

The difficulties In reference to transportation are considerable. Transportation Is done entirely by men: wagons and animals cannot be used. The gross weight for a carrier is from sixty-five to seventy pounds: commonly it does not exceed fifty-eight pounds. Packages, either bales or boxes, should be of about the (ollowlng dimensions: fourteen Inches by nine Inches by thirty inches, or, if more conven- ient, sixteen inches by ten Inches by twenty-four inches. N(i single package should exceed eighteen inches in width by ten Inches In depth. Pieces not exceeding sixty pounds In weight, though eight or ten feet long, can be carried by a single carrier.

As to means of subsistence, an observing party must bring ati their suppliei viith them, as it is essen- tial to the health of new-comers that they should live on food to which they are accustomed. The time rcQuiied for a round trip of a caravan from Bailundu to Beneuela may be slated as one month to six weeks.

Hr. Walter states that the chances for clear sky at the time of the eclipse are very favorable.

It may be stated that the land rises very abruptly as one leaves the coast from Benguela, and in a few miles attains a very considerable altitude, and throughout these liigblands the climate Is very health- ful. A. N. SKiirKKn.

A simple calendar reform.

Reform in the standard of dally time having now been happily accomplished, to the great convenience of the public, another simple reform in the monthly calendar remains desirable, which would greatly simplify commercial calculations, and computations depending on the calendar. In our present calendar the disturbing elements which cause inconvenience are connectea with the month of February, which at once is shorter than the average month, and also d!*- turbs the revolution of the Dominical letters by the addition of the Intercalary day in the leap-years. Prom this method of inserting the tntercalary day In the midst of the year, arises the necessity of having two Dominical letters in the leap-years, and of dis- tinguishing the two unequal parts of such years in ail calendar computations.

Now, it is evident, that. If the intercalary day were inserted at the end of the year, the revolution of the Dominical letters would go on undisturbed, and we should never have more than one in any year. But as December already has thirty-one days, to obviate the Inequality of months, one day should be taken from it, a[id one from some other moiith of thirty- one days, say July, and both be added to February. Thus an equality would be established, as nearly as possible, by an alternation of months of thirty and thirty-one days each, with the least possible alteration of the existing calendar. In each half-year, any two successive montlis (with the exception of November and December in ordinary years) would have sixty- one days, and each quarter not less than ninety-one, nor more than ninety-two days.

As it is now, the Grst two months have usually only fifty-nine days, while July and August have alxty-two; the first (juarter has ordinarily only ninety days, while the third ami fourth quarters have each ninety-two days. The new arrangement would estab- lish a simplicity and symmetry in the calendar, which

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