Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 69 



evident that it must form a distinct species from wavellite, which 

 contains 20 to 30 per cent, of water, while the phosphate of Bernon 

 contains 49 per cent, and an organic substance. Vauquelin has also 

 described, in the 21st vol. of the Annates de Chimie et de Physique, 

 an hydrated phosphate of alumina, from the Isle of Bourbon, the 

 composition of which is also different from that of wavellite, and 

 likewise contains ammonia. — Annates des Mines, 1844. 



A NEW PLANET. 



The Astronomer Royal has forwarded to the Times newspaper 

 the following letter from Prof. Encke of Berlin, relating the disco- 

 very of a new planet. Mr. Hind had previously communicated an 

 extract of a letter from Prof. Schumacher, announcing the fact of 

 Mr. Hencke's new planet, accompanied with a statement on the part 

 of Mr. Hind, that he could not find any star answering the descrip- 

 tion of the supposed new one. 



"Berlin, Dec. 15th. 



" On the 13th of December, Mr. Hencke, of Driessen, gave notice 

 that he had found a star of the ninth magnitude, in a place where 

 before there was none. He gave its position by reference to the 

 star-map of the Berlin Academy, 4th hour (which particular map 

 was very carefully drawn by Prof. Knorr), from which its place 

 appears to have been : Dec. 8. — At 8 hours ; right ascension in arc, 

 65° 25'; declination north, 12° 41'. 



" Yesterday, Dec. 14, we sought for it with our refractor, and 

 found, by comparison with the star-map of the Berlin Academy 

 (which alone, on account of the fulness of its details, could have 

 enabled us to discover it), a star of the ninth magnitude, not marked 

 in the map, whose place was : Dec. 14. — At 6 hours 28 min. mean 

 time, right ascension in arc, 64° 4' 53"'2. At 12 hours 43 min. 

 mean time, right ascension in arc, 64° 1' 10"*3. 



" We then determined the following places with the wire micro- 

 meter, each place being the mean of five observations. At 13 hours 

 34 min. 55 '6 sec. mean time, right ascension in time, 4 hours 16 min. 

 2-44 sec; declination north, 12° 39' 54"*2. At 13 hours 42 min. 

 36"5 sec, right ascension in time, 4 hours 16 min. 2*08 sec ; decli- 

 nation north, 12° 39' 53"' 1. At 14 hours 33 min. 27'1 sec, right 

 ascension in time, 4 hours 16 min. 0"2 sec. ; declination north, 12° 

 39' 52"*1. Or, taking the mean, at 13 hours 56 min. 59'7 sec. mean 

 time; right ascension in arc, 64° 0' 23"* 6; declination north, 12° 

 39' 53"-l. 



" The motion is retrograde, and its daily amount, as determined 

 from the observations, eight hours apart, is — in right ascension, 14' 

 21 "*2 of arc ; in declination it is quite insignificant. 



" Mr. Hencke's place of December 8th agrees very nearly with 

 this. 



" The star is probably a new planet near its opposition. Vesta is 

 pretty near it, and is also in opposition. 



" On account of the difficulty of following it, I have thought it 



