1 52 Royal Astronomical Society. 



13. Abstract, by the Secretary, of Newspaper Accounts of the 

 Comet which have been forwarded to the Society. 



Some of these accounts are of considerable interest, and Mr. Main 

 thought it desirable to collect and to bring them before the Society, 

 which will thus be in possession of almost every thing that has been 

 published relatively to the comet. 



The first is extracted from a newspaper of Tobago, and is signed 

 M. Dill, Lieutenant Royal Engineers, Superintendent of Signals, 

 and dated Fort King George, 8th March, 1843. 



" During the last few days our island has been visited by a very 

 large and brilliant comet. It is said to have been seen first on Fri- 

 day evening, but was more generally observed on Saturday, when it 

 presented a most luminous appearance ; the nucleus of "the comet 

 being, at about £ to 7 o'clock, in the direction of south-west, and 

 the tail stretching to an immense length across the heavens in a 

 south-east direction, and in opposition to the sun's light. On 

 Sunday night it was observed by compass, when the nucleus bore 

 west 25° 0' south at \ to 7 o'clock. On Monday an observation 

 was taken with a theodolite at 1 6 m £ past 7 o'clock, when the nucleus 

 bore west 16° 7' south, with an elevation of 6° 4', and the end of 

 the tail, as nearly as it could be caught, bore west 28° 14' south, 

 with an elevation of 28° 21'." 



Similar observations were made of it on the following Tuesday 

 and Wednesday. 



The following letter from Mr. Benjamin Pierce, dated Cambridge, 

 March 31 , 1843, appeared in the Boston Courier of April 1, 1843 : — 



" The elements of the comet's orbit, which I send you, are roughly 

 computed, and will need future correction. They agree very closely 

 with Mr. Clarke's noonday observations of February 28, and were 

 computed from Mr. Bond's observations of March 11, 18, 24, and 26. 

 More correct calculations, in which all the observations will be 

 thoroughly discussed, will in due time be presented to the American 

 Academy. 



Long, of the Ascending Node 348° 33' 



Inclination 39 16 



Long, of the Perihelion 280 31 



Perihelion Distance 0'00872 



Time of Perihelion Passage, Feb. 27 d, 01, mean time at Cambridge. 



Motion retrograde." 



In another American paper was the following account : — 



" A comet of unusual size and brilliancy was distinctly visible to 



the naked eye in this vicinity on Tuesday last, the 28th of February, 



1843, at noonday, at a distance, as we should judge, of 5° or 6° east 



from the sun. It extended over a space in the heavens of nearly 3° 



in length, with little more than 1° in width, and appeared like a very 



small white cloud, with its nucleus, or densest part, towards the sun, 



and its luminous train in opposition to it. On viewing it through 



a common telescope of moderate power, it presented a distinct and 



beautiful appearance, exhibiting a very white and bright nucleus, 



