referred to as situated in that compartment of the heavens called Hava, and that its name is Zepo.

To shew the confusion which at present prevails, we may refer to a very fine atlas of the stars, published by Sir John Lubbock, in which every star is named or numbered. Besides the Arabic and classical names, there are the designations of Bayer, Flamsteed, Helvetius, Piazzi, La Caille, Sir W. Herschel, Sir J. Herschel, Mettier, and Mr James Dunlop-eleven different nomenclatures, eight of which consist of numerals, each set engraved in a different kind of character, and yet very apt to be confounded with one another. Nor does the inconvenience end here. If stars are to be identified by numerical figures under which they appear in different catalogues, there must, and ought to be, a perpetual change in the preference given to the catalogue most in repute. The catalogue which a few years ago was that in general use, is now superseded by a better; and it, in turn, will be superseded when a better shall appear. Besides, every catalogue, in order to be perfect, must have a column for almost every other that has preceded it; for, without this, the identification is not complete.

The means of remedying all this is so simple, that it scarcely deserves the name of an invention; it merely proposes to bring together, and to recognise as a system, conventional arrangements which already exist, and are universally adopted. It leaves the constellations unaltered, and dispenses with their boundaries-the names being founded on absolute, and not on relative position. The name of every star ought to be obtained from its position in the sky; and the easiest method of expressing it would be in letters, indicating its right ascension, in hours, minutes, and seconds. This would be quite sufficient for

Y

ordinary purposes; but for minute telescopic stars, the plan might be extended, and the fraction of the second might be added. Instead, however, of expressing it by tenths, if we expressed it by sixtieths we should continue the series uniformly, and then the name of a star would be the expression of its time in "hours," "minutes," "seconds," and "sixtieths,"-60 sixtieths being a second -60 seconds, a minute-and 60 minutes, an hour.

To turn the numbers into names, we must convert the figures into letters; and if we take the twenty consonants, and vary them so as to form three series, we have a sexagenary scale, exactly suited to our wants. The variation may be accomplished in different ways. In writing, it is easiest to distinguish the letters of the second and third series, by underlining them-the second series having one line, the third series two lines, underneath. In engraved maps it is easiest to mark the letters of the second and third series by accents placed over them—the single accent marking the second, and the double accent the third series. In speaking, or vocalising the names, we may distinguish them by vowels; the first series may be vocalised by a, the second by e or i, and the third by o or u. In this manner the name of a star would be expressed in three or (in exceptional cases) four letters, or syllables.

The value of the letters might be as follows:

The plan is susceptible of great variety of application. For example-the heavens may be divided into definite Compartments, and named, for convenience, by the right ascension and polar distance. Every hour of right ascension would divide in one direction, and every ten degrees of polar distance in another. Each hour would have a letter, and each ten degrees would have a letter; and these together would name the Compartment. This would also simplify the naming of the stars in each compart ment, because it would cut off the first syllable; and in the catalogues each compartment would have its own stars; and, after each star, there would be, first, its north polar distance (in letters); second, its magnitude; third, its name, when it had any; and, fourth, the letters or numbers under which it appeared in other catalogues.

In translating the figures of the north polar distance into letters, it is an inconvenience that there are 180 degrees, which cannot be rendered by one letter: but it is easier to represent it by two, than to attempt any change. The decades of degrees, therefore, would be represented by the first letter; the units, by the second; the minutes, by the third; and the seconds, by the fourth.

The accompanying illustration represents the chief stars in the Pleiades, to shew the plan in operation both in

maps and in catalogues. Only those contained in the British Association's Catalogue are given. Towards the right, the map is not divided into minutes; to the left, it is. In either case, as many of the letters are put above and below the map, in the line of the division, as are common to all the stars which the lines enclose—the remaining letters, or letter, are attached to each star. The following is a catalogue of the stars contained in the chart:

:

In this list, the first word in each line is the name of the star, composed of only two syllables; these, with the syllable over the column in which they are found, contain the hour, minutes, and seconds of right ascension. The

syllable following the hyphen contains the fraction of seconds in sixtieth parts-to be used when it is necessary to distinguish minute telescopic stars.

The second word in each line (printed in italics) is the supplemental name of each star, and, when added to the syllable at the top, expresses its north polar distance. The top syllable expresses the decades of degrees; the first syllable of the word contains the units of degrees, the second the minutes, and the third the seconds of degrees.

The next column contains the magnitude of each star. The next is its number in the British Association Catalogue.

The next contains the letters of Bayer.

The next the numbers of Flamsteed, although it so happens that there are none here.

The next is the names, either Arabic or classical, by which any of them are known. The present list is peculiarly rich in these.

As the precession of the equinoxes produces a constant change in the right ascension and polar distance of the whole of the stars, the figures that express them at one time will not express them at any other-the consequence is, that whatever catalogue is used, the figures must be rectified to the time of observation. It is evident, therefore, that unless we are to be constantly changing the names, we must fix on some epoch as the time when the nomenclature is supposed to be made. The epoch of the present specimen is the 1st of January 1850, the same as is adopted by the British Association for their Catalogue. If such a nomenclature should ever be employed, the lines ought to be drawn as at 1850, with another set of lines drawn for 1950. These double lines would be of great use to shew the gradual change that is taking place every hundred