AJlr enemy. 105 



made an observation of this kind. He faw, during twenty 

 minutes, a black body, round, and well defined, crofs the 

 face of the fun, and he remembers to have feen fomethincr 



o 



iimilar in the year 1784. Lalakde. 



Paris, 2 Germinal, (March 22, 1798.) 



The fun had been feen fome days without any fpot, but on 

 the 29th of Ventofe (March 19) there appeared a fmall one 

 on its eaftern limb. It had arrived there in the night-time, as 

 well as that which was formed in the prefent decade. It 

 will employ thirteen days and a half to traverfe the fun's 

 difk, according to the time of the fun's rotation, in regard 

 to the earth, which I have determined to be 27 days 7 hours 

 and 37 minutes. In comparing with each other the large 

 fpots vifible by the naked eye in the years 1752, 1764, 1777, 

 and 1778, I confider them to be the fame fpot, or at leaft 

 formed at the fame point of the folar globe, where there is 

 probably a local caufe which from time to time produces at 

 the fame place the fame phenomenon. Lalande. 



Citizen Mefficr, aftronomer of the National Inftitute, 

 about feven in the evening on the 23d of Germinal (April 

 11) difcovered from his obfervatory a new comet in Tau- 

 rus, near the Pleiades, and in the parallel of the principal 

 ftar of that conftellation, with which it was compared at 

 8h. 58m. i6fec. of true time; its right afcenfion being 

 49h. 19m. 47fec. and its declination 23b. 22m. 55fcc. north. 

 Next morning, the 24th, the comet was compared again 

 with the fame ftar, at 8h. 25m. 46fec. Its right afcenfion 

 was found to be 50I1. 52m. 55fec. and its declination 

 ?5h. 18m. 58fec. 



This comet, which is fmall, round, and brilliant, has no 

 tail, and cannot be feen by the naked eye. On the 25th its 

 light was incrcafed ; which feems to fhew that it is approach- 

 ing the earth. 



This is the 20th comet which Citizen Mefficr has difco- 

 vered 



