1864. | Astronomy. 451 
similar instances may be discovered. Mr. Dawes’ No. 1 (p. xx. 177) 
was discovered in 1840, and occasional examination up to the present 
time has failed to show any perceptible change either in angle or 
distance. There would, therefore, appear to be no physical con- 
nection between the two, although, from the fact of one of its com- 
ponents having been examined by Struve, at Dorpat, and again by 
Maedler, without any notice of its being double, it seems almost 
necessary to conclude that it must have come out rapidly between 
1832 and 1840. No. 5, 7 Orionis, is undoubtedly binary ; it was 
regarded by Struve as single in 1826, and the distance has certainly 
increased during the last ten years, while the angles remain very 
nearly stationary. No. 8, L 2562, is an easy double star, but having 
been overlooked at Dorpat, and again at Poulkova, there is great 
probability of its turning out to be binary. 
The recently discovered companion of Sirius has attracted some 
attention, both from the Rey. W. R. Dawes and from Mr. Lassell. 
The former observer has obtained distinct views of this object on two 
occasions, and obtained a measure of position with the parallel thick 
wires of the filar micrometer = 84°86. The distance measure was 
estimated to be about 10”. Mr. Lassell has given five position 
measures, and six distance measures, each being the mean of six, the 
mean result being, position =79°55, distance =10'"12. 
Mr. Dunkin has made some remarks urging upon travellers to 
record, in their determinations of latitudes and longitudes by the 
sextant, not only the astronomical part of the observations of meridian 
altitudes, local time, or lunar distances, but the readings of the baro- 
meter and thermometer, at least once during each series of observa- 
tions. The effect of this omission. being to render it impossible to 
deduct the proper correction for refraction in computing the geo- 
eraphical position of the place. As an illustration, he gives the 
longitude of Kaze, computed from Captain Speke’s sextant observations 
on Feb. 28, 1861. When corrected for refraction and parallax the 
longitude was 33° 1' 0" E.; and when uncorrected, 33° 17’ 0’ —making 
a difference of 16’ 0”. 
Two early observations of Uranus, by Bradley, which were brought, 
by Mr. Breen, before the March meeting of the Astronomical Society, 
are interesting. The first was on October 21, 1748, when it was ob- 
served as a star of the sixth magnitude, by the transit instrument ; 
and the second on September 13, 1750, by the quadrant. The right 
ascensions are very accurate, 
Some observations of comet VI., 1863, which was discovered by 
Professor Respighi, have led Dr. Weisse to remark that its path 
closely resembles that of 1810, giving a period of 533 years, in which 
case, reckoning back six revolutions, it would probably be identical 
with the comet of 1490, their paths having some resemblance. But 
Dr. Michez gives a set of elements, from several observations, in 
January and February last, which are better satisfied by an elliptic 
orbit, with a period of about 1083 years. The identity of the comet 
with that of 1810 is thus doubtful. 
A set of elements for the minor planet Eurynome, has been 
