3S6 ITijhry of Jjlronomy for 1 798. 



comet was announced on the Pont-Neuf, and many people 

 were frightened. It however turned out to be only Venus, 

 which was feen during the open day over the Luxembourg, at 

 a time when 20,000 perfons afTembled to fee General Bona- 

 parte had their eves directed towards that quarter. With 

 proper attention, Venus might be feen in the like manner every 

 19 months; but Few people have time or opportunity to make 

 fuch obfervations. On this occafion the terror was fmgular. 

 A piece called the Comet, or the End of the World, was re- 

 presented at the Vaudeville. Ruggieri exhibited an artificial 

 comet at the Lyceum: it had a great refemblance to the 

 beautiful comet of 1744, which I recollect to have feen, 

 and which was the moft aftonifhing of that century. 



On the 6th of December 1798, in. the evening, C. 

 Bduvard difcovercd a fmall comet in the conftellation of 

 Hercules. Tills makes the. 89th. It was obferved till the 

 "nth, when it difappeared in Aquarius. It moved at the 

 rate of eighteen degrees per day. Though it appeared only 

 fi.e days, we have, therefore, iufficient data to calculate its 

 orbit. It was feen at Bremen by Dr. Olbers. 



On the 2 1 ft of November a comic opera, called the Aftro- 



ler, w3s represented at the theatre in the Rue Fejdeau. 



It is founded on a circum (lance fimilar to that of the Tutal 



Y.cWi'fc ; the firft idea of which feerris to have been borrowed 



from Lei MemOlrei Tares. It exhibits an old fimplcton de- 



fived while he pretends to obferve a comet. 



On the 1 8th of January, C. Dangos, at Tarbes, faw a 

 comet pais over the fun like a black fpot. This new and 

 fmgular obfervation may be ufeful when we become ac- 

 quainted with a great number of comets ; but we are totally 

 ignorant of the courfc of the one which was feen that day on 

 the fun's diik. 



An important and celebrated voyage has given new hopes 

 to adronomy and geography. On the 16th of March go- 

 vernment cxpreiTed a derhv of having felect attronomers and 

 nimcrits for a ferret expedition. We foon learned that 



the 



