Accounts of the late Eclipse of the Moon. 



1S16.] 

 Emersion complete — 



end of the eclipse 14.57 n 2.57. Du- 

 ration 3b. '^9'. Diff. 

 05 minus. 

 The equation of time, about imin.S" to be 

 deducted. 



Observatiotis.- — Just before tbe eclipse 

 became total, the Moon appeared like a 

 dim star of the 2d, and then of the 6th, 

 magnitude. 



A star was seen south of her as in ap- 

 parent contact nearly with tiie obscured 

 disc. 



Another, farther from her, to the east- 

 ward, and the Hevscheliau planet, be- 

 came discernible. 



Usually the Moon in a total eclipse 

 does not disappear, but is seen as of a 

 faintish red through the shadow. In 

 this instance the shadow, which passed 

 before her, was so dense, that she total- 

 ly disappeared. 



Viewed, except the emersion, with the 

 night glass, but that with the pocket 

 Dolloml, and the Dollond large re- 

 fractor. 



Solar Spots. 



I have two observations of these at 

 Ipswich, — 18tli and 19th of April; and 

 again on the 2d of May. I have seen 

 none since, though I have repeatedly 

 lookf d for them. 



That of May 2 seems the same collec- 

 tion (jf Spots as was seen in North Ame- 

 rica on the 3d of May, and suspected, 

 it is said, to have been a cornet. 



Viewed with a pocket achrometcr of 

 Dollond, it appeared a single spot, 

 roundish, and pretty dense, and so large 

 as to subtend an angle nearly, if not 

 quite, sufficient to be seen by the naked 

 eye. AVith the reflector of about 18 in. 

 focal dist. and a power of about 100, it 

 resolved itself into a cluster of several 

 spots, of various size, aird very unequal 

 outliire; one more uiiiform and denser 

 than the rest, but notliing which led 

 nre to the idea of a comet, or ordinary 

 planet. 



I think, however, that t have more 

 than once seen a planet crossing the 

 Sun's disc; and since 1760 two aj)pear- 

 ances of the same kirrd have been no- 

 ticed as observed by others ; one in the 

 Gentleman s Magnzine, about 1763 I 

 think, tlie other by Lalundc, in his Con- 

 noissance dcs Terns, each of which was 

 probably, and the former almost cer- 

 tainly, a comet in transit. 

 Iteviswn and Arrangement of the 

 Statutes. 



To revise and arrange the Statutes 

 •nd«r proper heads would be a ^icat 



benefit, which parliament at length 

 seems likely to carry into effect ; but it 

 would be much greater if accompanied 

 by a correction of the phraseology, on 

 the plan of Mr. Bentham. 



Then we should be saved " Person or 

 persons — he, she, or they — four-wheeled 

 carriages, chaise, chariot, coach, landau, 

 landaulet, or bcriin — horse, mare, &c." 

 uselessly enumerated species — perpetual 

 repetition of the jironouti and noun to- 

 gctlier — "Provided nevertheless that he 

 the aforesaid ABC, if it shall seem 

 proper to him the said A B C." 



Our volumes of Statute Law might be 

 reduced, I am persuaded, to three or 

 Jour quartos, instead of more than fiv» 

 times that number, and with gain in- 

 stead of loss, to clearness and certainty, 

 by this single operation. And their 

 style, as well as bulk, would be theu 

 more worthy of laws, and more similar 

 to the .lustinian or Napoleon Codes. 

 And if the bad laws were abrogated, 

 the resemblance would come nearer, 

 and the quantity of good, and, at pre- 

 sent, useful statutes, could hardly ex- 

 ceed a single quarto, closely printed, as 

 at present, or two at most. 



Capel Lofft- 



Ipsicich; June 13, 1816. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIK, 



THE evening of the 9th inst. proving 

 bright, we had the pleasure of ob- 

 serving one of those \n enomena of the 

 Heavens which will not occrrr again in 

 England for some years: viz. a total 

 eclipse of the J. At llh. mean time, 

 a perceptible loss of liglit was observed 

 on the eastern part of the J 's disc; aird 

 at llih. the peiuimbral shade extended 

 over a considerable area of tlic ]) 's sur- 

 face; compieheuding Grimaldus, Gali- 

 leu.s, Aristarchus, Kepleriis, Heraclides, 

 Coperjiicus, Reirioldus, Earisbergius' 

 and Gassendus; according to Kicciolus! 

 At nil. 27m. very dark about Griiiial- 

 drrs, Galilcus, and Aristarchus; which 

 showed the J's eastern limb to be very 

 near touching the nrnbra of Iho Ciullr. 

 At llh. 29nr. the eclipse began, and 

 the first impression made on the J's 

 linrl), was the s!i.iilow of that part of the 

 Istimms of Uarierr irear the Gulph of 

 the same name. At 1 Ih. 30nr. (iaiileus 

 was obs(rrred; at llh. 32ni. Grimal- 

 dus was likewise lost to view; and at 

 ) III. 34in. Aristarchus was also Lid. 



Tire umbra now exterrded far and 

 widv over (h« J'l* snrfarej for at \\h 



