scholarly journals VIII. A catalogue of nebulæ and clusters of stars in the southern hemisphere, observed at Paramatta in New South Wales, by James Dunlop, Esq. In a letter addressed to Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Bart. K. C. B. late Governor of New South Wales. Presented to the Royal Society by John Frederick William Herschel, Esq. Vice President

1828 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 113-151 ◽  

The following nebulæ and clusters of stars in the southern hemisphere were observed by me at my house in Paramatta, situated about 6″ of a degree south and about I 8 .78 of time east of the Brisbane Observatory. The observations were made in the open air, with an excellent 9-feet reflecting telescope, the clear aperture of the large mirror being nine inches. This telescope was occasionally fitted up as a meridian telescope, with a strong iron axis firmly attached to the lower side of the tube nearly opposite the cell of the large mirror, and the ends of the axis rested in brass Y’s, which were screwed to blocks of wood let into the ground about 18 inches, and projecting about 4 inches above the ground; one end of the axis carried a brass semicircle divided into half degrees and read off by a vernier to minutes. The position and index error of the instrument were ascertained by the passage of known stars. The eye end of the telescope was raised or lowered by a cord over a pulley attached to a strong wooden post let into the ground about two feet: with this apparatus I have observed a sweep of eight or ten degrees in breadth with very little deviation of the instrument from the plane of the meridian, and the tremor was very little even with a considerable magnifying power. I made drawings or representations of a great number of the nebulæ and clusters at the time of observation, several of which are annexed to this paper; and also very correct drawings of the Nebulæ major and minor, together with a representation of the milky nebulosity surrounding the star η Robur Caroli. The places of the small stars in the Nebulæ major and minor, and also those accompanying the η Robur Caroli, I ascertained by the mural circle in the year 1825, at which time I was preparing to commence a general survey of the southern hemisphere. These stars being laid down upon the chart, enabled me to delineate the nebulosity very accurately. The nebulæ are arranged in the order of their south polar distances to the nearest minute for 1827, and in zones for each degree in the order of their right ascension. The column on the right hand shows the number of times the object has been observed.

The observations, of which the results are here given, were made by Mr. Dunlop in the open air, with a 9-feet reflecting telescope, having the clear aperture of the large mirror 9 inches, and fitted up as a meridian telescope; the position of which, and the index error, being ascertained by the passage of known stars. The drawings which accompany the paper were made at the time of observation of the appearances of a great number of nebulæ and clusters, and particularly of the nebulæ major and minor. The paper contains a catalogue and description of 629 nebulæ, arranged in the order of their south polar distance, and in zones for each degree in the order of their right ascension. A few observations are subjoined, describing more particularly the appearance of the nebula minor, which, seen through the telescope, resembles one of the brighter portions of the milky way; of the nebula major, which is brighter, more irregular, and composed of a great number of different parts; and of the dark space on the east side of the cross, or the black cloud, as it is called, which is occasioned by the almost total absence of stars. It is remarked by the author, that neither of the two nebulæ, major and minor, are at present in the place assigned to them by La Caille. He finds also that scarcely any nebulæ exist in a high state of condensation, and very few even in a state of moderate condensation towards the centre. Some have bright points in or near the centre, many of which may be stars; but the greater number of the nebulæ appear only as condensations of the general nebulous matter into faint nebulæ of various forms and magnitudes, generally not well defined; while many of the larger nebulous appearances are resolvable into stars of small magnitudes. But whether nebulæ are universally thus resolvable, is a question of which our instruments are yet incompetent to afford a direct solution, and in the discussion of which we have only analogy as our guide.


The author, having received a male wombat alive from one of the islands in Bass’s Straits, had an opportunity of observing its habits in a domesticated state, and of examining the peculiarities of its internal formation after death, particularly the mechanism of the bones and muscles of its hind legs, which have not been described either by Geoffroy, in his account of its internal form, or by Cuvier, who has described several parts of its internal structure in his Lecons d’Anatomie Comparée . The stomach of the wombat resembles closely that of the beaver, and differs so much from that of the kanguroo, and other animals of the opossum tribe, that it forms an extraordinary peculiarity. An account of the dissection of a female wombat having been received from the late Mr. Bell, Surgeon to the Colony at New South Wales, Mr. Home has inserted Mr. Bell’s description, with remarks especially on the state of the uterus, which was double, and impregnated on each side; that on the right side was as large as a pullet’s egg. The os tincæ was filled with a thick gelatinous substance. When a longitudinal incision was made into its cavity, its coats were found lined with the same jelly, in the centre of which was an embryo wrapped up in very fine membranes, that appeared to have no connexion by vessels with either the uterus or the gelatinous matter. These facts, says Mr. Home, throw considerable light on the mode of propagation of this very curious tribe of animals. They confirm, in the most satisfactory manner, the observations contained in a former paper on the kanguroo, which required further evidence, as the specimen on which the observations were made had been sent to England preserved in spirits, and the parts had become very indistinct, from being coagulated and long kept.


2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley D. Saunders

Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane's legacy to colonial science derives from his initiative in establishing a privately owned observatory in the southern hemisphere, the Parramatta Observatory, during his term as Governor of the Colony of New South Wales from 1822 to 1825. In this paper a discussion is given of the origin and setting up of Brisbane's Parramatta Observatory, including the recruitment and employment of Carl Rümker and James Dunlop. An account is given of the choice of the work undertaken at Parramatta Observatory when it was privately owned by Brisbane such as the rediscovery of Encke's Comet in 1822, the publication of a catalogue of 7,385 southern stars in 1835 and measurements of earthly phenomena such as the weather, the temperature of the interior of the Earth and the figure of the Earth. An investigation is made of the ensuing struggles as the Parramatta Observatory moved from a private, gentlemanly endeavour to a more accountable public-sector institution in a distant colony of Britain. The main events concerning the public Parramatta Observatory are chronicled from 1826 to 1830 during the years when Rümker worked at the Observatory. A discussion is given of the period 1831 to 1848 at the Parramatta Observatory during Dunlop's term of public office, concluding with an account of the decay and demolition of the observatory.


1979 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 325 ◽  
Author(s):  
GL Muir ◽  
WD Johnson

Studies of the chemical characteristics of the Cudgegong River, N.S.W., were made in December 1974, November and December 1975 and January and June 1976. The concentrations of the major ions showed correlation with the geology of the catchment and the river's discharge. The order of dominance for ions in most of the river was found to be Mg2+ > Na+ > Ca2+ and HCO3- > Cl- > SO42-, but in the uppermost reaches of the river the order was Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ and Cl- > HCO3- > SO42-. The origin and variation of ions, mineral weathering and ion-ion associations are discussed.


1985 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
L Davies

The Hassall Report was based on an economic survey of 150 landholders throughout the Western Division of New South Wales for the financial years 197711978, 197811979 and 1979/1980. The survey used taxation records, however. some attitudinal informa- tion was collected from face to face interviews with landholders. The survey examined the financial performance in relation to the carrying capacity of the property and in relation to five land- scape categories. The survey found that the financial performance of the landscape categorized as "tall dense woodlands with scrub" was significantly poorer than for other landscape categories. The report has been used as a major reference for the recently completed Joint Parliamentary Committee Enquiry into the Western Division of New South Wales and has influenced a number of the economic recommendations in this report. This paper gives a brief summary of the financial results, a comparison of these results to those of other agricultural areas and the major policy recom- mendations made in the report.


2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Peacock ◽  
Ian Abbott

We reviewed historical literature and obtained nearly 200 records of the mongoose in Australia up to 1942. Although the earliest importations (from 1855) were for its snake-killing prowess, often as entertainment, its perceived potential as a control agent for the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) plague saw concerted introductions made in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, primarily in 1883 and 1884. At least 1000 mongoose were released to control rabbits at 14 reported release locations in these states. As many as 700 of these mongoose were reported released in one New South Wales rabbit-control trial. These numbers indicate that insufficient propagule pressure does not explain why Australia escaped the additional devastation of an established mongoose population. The only reason stated for the failure of the mongoose releases to control rabbits is destruction of the mongoose by rabbit trappers, both inadvertently and in seeking to protect their employment. Unfavourable climate was implicated by CLIMATCH modelling in the failure of all releases, especially those into semiarid areas such as western New South Wales. No contemporary detail could be located of the reported 1884 failed introduction of ‘numbers’ of mongoose into North Queensland to control rats in sugarcane plantations.


1977 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 683 ◽  
Author(s):  
WD Johnson ◽  
GL Muir

Preliminary studies of the chemical characteristics of the Castlereagh River were made in 1973. The concentrations of the major ions vary considerably with distance from the head of the river and this variation shows a marked correlation with the geology of the catchment area. The order of dominance for ions within the system was found to be Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ and HCO3- > Cl- > SO42- for the main river, and creeks in the eastern catchment gave Mg2+ > Ca2+ > Na+ > K+ and Cl- > HCO3- > SO42-. The relative amounts of the dominant chemical species are discussed and suggestions are made for the possible origins of specific components.


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