The Quantity of Solar Nutation as affecting the North Polar 
Distances of the fixed Stars deduced from Observation, and the 
Application of this Determination to confirm the Conclusions 
relative to the Parallaxes of certain fixed Stars. By the Rev. 
John Brinkley, D.D. F.R.S. President of the R.I. A. and 
Andrews’ Professor of Astronomy in the University of Dublin. 
Read April 1, 1822. 
IN the Twelfth Volume of the Transactions of the Royal Irish 
Academy, an account was given of observations made at the Ob- 
servatory of the College, by which the annual parallaxes of certain 
fixed stars appeared to be determined. 
Mr. Pond immediately referred to the observations made at the 
Royal Observatory, Greenwich, with the new mural circle; and, 
although some small changes of place appeared to have been ex- 
hibited by the observations made with that instrument, he was of 
opinion, that those changes did not arise from parallax. 
To ascertain this point with greater certainty, he procured fixed 
telescopes of considerable length to be erected at Greenwich, and 
furnished with micrometers ; by which stars nearly opposite in right 
ascension, and having nearly the same zenith distance, could be 
examined. 
The result of his observations appeared entirely adverse to my 
conclusions. His objections were stated in several papers in the 
Transactions of the Royal Society. 
There were some circumstances, that made me feel considerable 
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