72 



Royal Astronomical Society, 



1 . Observations made at StarjReld. By W. Lassell, Esq., for which 

 we refer to the Monthly Notices of the Society, vol. vi. No. 5. 



2. Right Ascensions and North Polar Distances of the Comet of 

 Faye, from Observations at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Com- 

 municated by G. B. Airy, Esq., Astronomer Royal. 



The above observations, with the exceptions mentioned in the 

 remarks, were made with the south and the east equatoreals of the 

 Observatory, the observations of Nov. 29 and Dec. 1 1 being made 

 with the latter and all the rest with the former instrument. In ge- 

 neral, the observations consisted of comparisons, in the same position 

 of the polar axis of the instrument, of the comet with neighbouring 

 stars in both elements, the differences of right ascension of the star 

 of comparison and the comet being determined by the time of their 

 transits across the declination- wire, and the difference of north polar 

 distances by the reading of the declination circle of the east equa- 

 toreal, and of the sector-arc of the south equatoreal. The only ex- 

 ceptions to this rule are the results of Jan. 15 and Jan. 2G, 1844 

 (included in brackets), which depend on the readings of the hour- 

 circle and declination-circle of the south equatoreal, and which may 

 be affected with errors of 3* or 4^ in right ascension, and of 1' in 

 north polar distance. 



The results have been rigorously cleared of the effects of refraction 

 and parallax, the distances of the comet from the earth being taken 

 from an ephemeris, by Professor Henderson, in the Monthly Notice 

 of this Society for January last, as far as it extends. 



The places of the stars of comparison have been taken either from 

 the Catalogue of Santini, contained in vol. xii. of the Memoirs of 

 this Society, or from meridian observations made since at the Royal 

 Observatory. The only element which is at all doubtful is the right 

 ascension of the star of comparison for the observations of Feb. 20, 

 which has been deduced from the time of its transit across the cen- 

 tral wire of the telescope of the mural circle. It is believed that this 

 determination is not in error to the amount of P, and the result may 



