20 



vatory, read a paper in which he referred to some observations 

 made with that instrument on the star v Argus, and the 

 nebula ; and stated " that the object had evidently undergone? 

 great changes since Mr. Le Sueur made his sketches of it. It 

 was now beyond a doubt that enormous physical changes were 

 still taking place." 



The catalogue accompanying my present drawing, made for 

 the referees, and laid on the table, will show that there are 

 now in the same field two stars of the 6th, two 6|, three 7th, 

 four 7|, four 8th, and nine of the 8| magnitude, and it is 

 literally crowded with others of from the 8| to the 12th mag- 

 nitude. Those lying outside the field and occupying an area 

 of about 1 1 ^ , have their magnitudes attached. The small 

 cluster I take to be Sir. J. Herschel's 3276, described as " a 

 fine, bright, rich, not very large cluster," if so it is now a 

 beautiful cluster of richly coloured stars, quite equal to « Crucis. 



It is almost impossible to define the boundary of the nebula, 

 as it appears to be gradually fading away, and is not so distinct 

 in outline as formerly. 



The finest nights have always been selected for observing, 

 and no delineation of the object has ever been given, but what 

 was an accurate representation of its appearance through the 

 telescope. 



The following is an extract from a letter addressed by Mr. 

 Severn, of Melbourne, to the Astronomer Eoyal, and printed 

 in the Monthly Notices, Royal Astronomical Society, for April, 

 1870 : — " 1 may say that I cannot confirm the new position 

 given to v Argus in respect to the nebula. I have watched it 

 for 14 years, and it is just where it was ; of course much less 

 brilliant." 



A letter dated 21st June in the same year, which I received 

 from Mr. Severn contains the following passage : — " My present 

 motive is to draw your attention to the injustice done you 

 in the v Argus business ; I have of course read all your letters 

 in the Monthly Notices of the R.A.S. on the subject. You 

 must not allow the Spectator, or Mr. Le Sueur, or any other 

 man to deprive yoio of your discovery ; yoio have at least done, 

 and that years ago, what the 4ft. Cassegranians and Mr. Le 

 Sueur are claiming as their discovery. I canH stand this, and 

 therefore if you don't defend yourself, by writing to our 

 papers, I must. I send you a Leader with my paper in it, also 

 another re t?." 



On reading thesB two extracts, which are dated about the 

 same time, it will appear that the writer must have very sud- 

 denly changed his mind. 



In June, 1869, 1 visited Melbourne for the purpose of seeing 

 the new large reflecting telescope, and must confess to being 



