142 SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



it in vain, until he received Dr. Mafkelyne's determination of 

 its place. When viewed with powers of 600 and 1200, it 

 could not be decidedly diflinguifhed from a ftar, until it was 

 found to change its place. Its apparent diameter was not 

 large enough to be directly determined, but it was certainly 

 not larger than one-fourth of that of the Georgian planet, and 

 perhaps equal only to one-fixth., From a rough computation 

 of its magnitude, Dr. Herfchel concludes that its real diameter 

 is about J- of that of the moon : its light is of a reddifh hue. 



Mr. Gilpin alfo gave the Society an account of obfervations 

 on the 8th and 12th of February. He found the planet's right 

 afcenfion change from 188° 4-1' to 188° 30', while its declina- 

 tion increafed. Mr. Gilpin obferves that its light refembles 

 that of the planet Mars. 

 Nebulous atmof- Thurfday, 25th February. A letter from Mr. Schroeter of 

 Lilienthal, refpecting the planet Ceres Ferdinandia, informed 

 the Society that Mr. Schroeter had obferved a nebulofity round 

 the planet, fomewhat refembling that of a comet : the diameter 

 of the true difc being 1.8", and that of the nebula 2.6", but the 

 diftinction was not always equally obfervable. Mr. Schroeter 

 confiders this body as of a hybrid nature, or a medium be- 

 tween a planet and a comet ; but he imagines the apparent 

 nebulofity to be owing to an atmofphere, and that, according 

 to the different ftates of this atmofphere, the light reflected from 

 the planet is either white, bluifli, or reddifh. 



A table of obfervations of the fame planet was alfo commu- 

 nicated by Mr. Mechain, through Sir Henry Englefield.— 

 XThis article is taken from the Journal of the Royal Injlitution.) 

 Leonardo da Vinci, 



The lovers of the polite arts will be.pleafed to learn, a new 

 tranflation of Leonardo da Vinci's treatife on painting (for 

 which Pouflin made the figures) will foon be ready for publi- 

 cation. This work has been long in the hands of Mr. Rigaud, 

 R. A. who has paid it particular attention and care ; and has 

 given new importance and energy to the work, by arranging 

 the chapters iuccellively under proper heads ; by which the 

 Itudent will be much facilitated in underflanding the precepts 

 of this great matter in the art of painting. 



The reader will recoiled fome particulars of the extraordi- 

 nary refearches and very fuperior genius of Da Vinci, by the ex- 

 tracts given in the former feries of this Journal, from an abridge- 

 ment of his writings, by J. B. Venturi, quarto, II. 84. 



Experi?nent9 



