OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 151 



" Even the magnitude of the resulting eccentricity cannnot be con- 

 sidered as proving the curve described to be actually a hyperbola. 

 On the contrary, I fully coincide with the views which Professor 

 Peirce has developed at a late meeting of the Academy, with regard 

 to the non-hyperbolism of any of the cometary orbits on record. I can 

 only say, that no curve but a hyperbola can be drawn 'precisely through 

 the three places given by the observations on which my calculations 

 were based. None of the observations had been made in the merid- 

 ian, and a small change in the fundamental places would change the 

 character of the curve very considerably. I believe, however, that 

 the evidence is sufficient to prove that the comet was not moving in 

 any ellipse whose eccentricity differs sufficiently from unity to enable 

 us to deduce the period, and am convinced that no hypothesis of 

 identity with Klinkenberg's comet of 1748 could be supported. It 

 must moreover be observed, that, during the whole of the period com- 

 prised between the fundamental observations, the comet was approach- 

 ing the earth, whose attraction must, in consequence of its proximity, 

 have been powerful, and was to be added to that of the sun. The in- 

 creased velocity thus imparted to the comet might give temporarily a 

 hyperbolic aspect to the orbit." 



Dr. Gould then spoke of the comet observations quoted in 

 Struyck and Pingre as having been made by Kindermann in 

 Dresden, and a Dutch navigator at the Cape of Good Hope, in 

 the spring of 1748. He had attempted to reconcile them with 

 the orbits of the two authentic comets of that year, but entire- 

 ly in vain. 



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