Researches in faint nebulae and nebulous stars appearing likely to constitute a separate and interesting branch of the astronomy of the future, it has seemed to me that the astronomers engaged in this work may like to make a careful examination of some of the stars entered in my observing book under the category of “suspected objects.”  The method I adopted of insuring re-observation of these objects was by the determination, not of their absolute, but only of their relative, positions, through the agency of the larger “finder” of the great telescope.  This has an aperture of five inches, a power of thirty diameters, and a field of view of seventy-eight minutes of arc.  Two diagrams were usually drawn in the book for each of these objects, the one showing the relation of adjacent objects in the great telescope, and the other the configuration of the more conspicuous objects in the field of view of the finder.  Adjacent to these “finder” diagrams are the settings—­to the nearest minute of arc in declination, and of time in right ascension—­as read from the large finding-circles, divided in black and white.  The field of view of the finder is crossed by two pairs of hairlines, making a square of about twelve minutes on a side by their intersection at the center.  The diagrams in all cases represent the objects as seen with an inverting eye-piece.  As the adjustment of the finder was occasionally verified, as well as the readings of the large circles, there should be no trouble in identifying any of these objects, notwithstanding the fact that no estimates of absolute magnitude were recorded.  The relative magnitudes, while intended to be only approximate, are still shown with sufficient accuracy for the purpose of the research, and the diagrams are, in general, faithful tracings from the original memoranda.

[Mr. Todd transcribes the observing book entire.]

* * * * *

[AMERICAN ANNALS OF THE DEAF AND DUMB.]

NOTES ON MANUAL SPELLING.

The inestimable value of speech-reading and the practicability of its acquisition under favorable conditions is a matter of common experience and observation but justice to the deaf requires a recognition of the fact that speech-reading has its limitations.  Certain English words, chiefly short ones, are practically alike to the speech-reader and the context may fail sometimes to give a clew.  It is necessary, at times, in communicating with even expert speech-readers, to have recourse to writing or oral spelling to convey the names of persons, places, technical terms, etc., not in common use.  Moreover, it is convenient to have accurate and rapid means of conversation under unfavorable conditions as to light and distance, or when from any cause the deaf person’s voice cannot be heard.

Writing is slow, inconvenient, and often impossible.  Writing upon the palm of the hand was proposed by the Abbe Deschamps in 1778, as utilizing the sense of touch, and was used in darkness by him as a substitute for speech, but it is neither accurate nor rapid.  Writing in the air[1] with the finger is also slow and uncertain, while the action is unpleasantly conspicuous.