442 On the Nautical Almanac for 1820, 
eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites ! Surely such incongruities and ab- 
surdities. ought to be banished from any work which professes to 
be written for the instruction of mankind, 
Mr. Pond, in his preface, makes a feeble attempt to justify the 
omission of ‘the occultations of the fixed stars; and hints that 
Dr. Maskelyne was convinced of the little importance of such 
occultations, But, Dr. Maskelyne has (in the explanation above 
alluded to) expressly stated that they are inserted in the work 
in order “ to instruct mariners or travellers to look out freguenily 
for such observations: which, if they happen to prove occulta- 
tions and are carefully observed, will afford a certain means of 
determining the longitude of the place of observation.”’ Indeed 
I believe it will be found that they afford the lest means of dis- 
covering the longitude of any given place: and as such occultations 
are very numerous (and not rare, as Mr. Pond would seem to 
insinuate) it is to be hoped that the attention of travellers wiil 
be drawn towards this branch of the scierice more than it has 
hitherto been. In addition to which I would remark that 
M. Cagnoli has (in the Memoirs of the Italian Society) attempted 
to show that the true figure of the earth may be ascertained by 
a connected series of such observations. But, how does it hap- 
pen (if the Commissioners have given directions that these oc- 
cultations shall be inserted as formerly) that we find them wholly 
omitted in the present volume? For there is not a single occulta- 
tion of any fixed star announced throughout the whole of the 
year: neither are the conjunctions of the moon with any of the 
fixed stars stated, except as to five of the principal ones of the 
first and second magnitude; viz. By,6MW, «Q, «™®, and 
amM,. It is true that the editor announces an occultation of 
one of the planets (Jupiter) in that year: but why is the occul- 
tation of another of the planets (Mars) in January omitted } 
the true conjunction of which will take place t2venty minules 
later than is stated in the Nautical Almanac. I would observe 
likewise that the commencement of the solar eclipse in Septem- 
ber is set down full ome minute later than it ought to be; and 
the point when the moon makes the first impression on the sun’s * 
dise (48}° from the wertex) is omitted. 
Whatever apology might be made for the careless manner in 
which the late volumes of the Nautical Alnanac have been 
published, arising (as My. Pond informs us) from the coniusion 
incident to the death of the Rev. Mr. Hitchins, and the delay 
attending the necessary instruction of the Rev. Mr. Brown, his . 
successor ; yet as this successor has now passed six years of his 
astronomical education, it was to be presumed that such gross 
errors and omissions would not have been suffered to disgrace the 
future volumes of the Nautical Almanac, if 
I shall 
