1S6 AJlronomical Notices. 



this period * and the end of the year 1801, provided it be 

 not vifiblc to the naked eye, and that its appearance be con- 

 firmed by another aflronomcr; in France, for example, by 

 one of thole at Paris, Touloufe, Marseilles, Montauban, 

 Viviers; in Germany, by one of thofe at Gotha, Berlin, 

 Vienna ; in Italy, by one of thofe at Milan ; and in Eng- 

 land, by the aftronomer roval, Greenwich. 



To find a comet it is not ncceflary to be an aftronomer, 

 nor is it required thai its place mould be exactly determined ; 

 it will be lufricicnt to indicate nearly the hour at which it 

 appeared, at what height above fuch or fuch a ftar, or at what 

 diftance from the meridian ; which is very eafy. There are 

 fo many amateurs who look at the heavens, that there is 

 reafon to hope fome of them will employ this degree of at- 

 tention by confidering that comets are at prefent the only 

 deiiderata in adronomy, and that they may be found, by a 

 common telefcope mounted on a quadrant or parallactic ma- 

 chine of wood, which any one may conftruct by confulting 

 the rules of aftronomy. Lalande. 



II. On the 1 2th of July, at ten in the evening, C. Bouvard 

 difcovered a fmall comet near the head of the Great Bear. 

 Its right afcenfion was m° 15', and its northern declination 

 69 3c/, at u h 58"* of true time. It was fmall and round, 

 had no tail, and was fomewhat nebulous. C. Bouvard has 

 tokl me that it was feen by C. Mechain at a quarter pad 

 ten, and by C. Mefiier at half after ten. I do not yet know 

 who will be entitled to the 600 francs which Caigne, the 

 notary, has been commiffioned to deliver to the perfon who 

 fhould difcover a comet. Lalande. 



III. The following notice refpecling this comet was tranf- 

 mitted by C. Mechain, to the minifter of the interior : 



" Paris, at the National Obfervatory, 

 July 13, 1S01. 



cc The intereft which you take in the re-eftablimment of 

 the obfervatory, and the powerful means you procure to us 

 to enable us to put it into fuch a ftate as to vie with the moil 

 celebrated obfervatories of Europe, render it my duty to com- 

 municate to you the difcovery I made yefterday evening 

 about ten o'clock. I obferved a new comet in the northern 

 part of the heavens below the polgjl between the conftel- 

 lations of the Giraffe and the Great Bear, and very near the 

 head of the latter. This comet was not vifible to the naked 

 eye, it was even very faint in the telefcope : it had no tail 



* This notice is copied from the Magitzin Encyclopedique^ ift Meifidor 

 \ Juiu). 



or 



