s this introductory paper as
follows:--

"It thus appears that the apparent change in the latitude of
Cambridge is verified by this discussion of more abundant material.
The presumption that it is real, on this determination alone, would
justify further inquiry.

[Sidenote: Confirmed in Europe.]

"Curiously enough Dr. Kuestner, in his determination of the
aberration from a series of observations coincident in time with
those of the Almucantar, came upon similar anomalies, and his
results, published in 1888, furnish a counterpart to those which I
had pointed out in 1885. The verification afforded by the recent
parallel determinations at Berlin, Prague, Potsdam, and Pulkowa,
which show a most surprising and satisfactory accordance, as to the
character of the change, in range and periodicity, with the
Almucantar results, has led me to make further investigations on the
subject. They seem to establish the nature of the law of those
changes, and I will proceed to present them in due order."

The second paper appeared on November 23, and opens with the following
brief statement of his general results at that time:--

[Sidenote: 427 days' period.]

"Before entering upon the details of the investigations spoken of in
the preceding number, it is convenient to say that the general result
of a preliminary discussion is to show a revolution of the earth's
pole in a period of 427 days, from west to east, with a radius of
thirty feet, measured at the earth's surface. Assuming provisionally,
for the purpose of statement, that this is a motion of the north pole
of the principal axis of inertia about that of the axis of rotation,
the direction of the former from the latter lay towards the Greenwich
meridian about the beginning of the year 1890. This, with the period
of 427 days, will serve to fix approximately the relative positions
of these axes at any other time, for any given meridian. It is not
possible at this stage of the investigation to be more precise, as
there are facts which appear to show that the rotation is not a
perfectly uniform one, but is subject to secular change, and perhaps
irregularities within brief spaces of time."

[Sidenote: Contrary to received views.]

It is almost impossible, now that we have become familiar with the ideas
conveyed in this pa