of the Earth ly means of Occultations of the fixed Stars. 4 1 1 



for in this country. It is well known that, on the continent, great 

 advantage is rendered to astronomy by means of the Epheme- 

 rides, which are pubUshed under the authority of Government: 

 and those annual publications contain a vast fund of valuable in- 

 formation on the subject of astronomy, which otherwise might be 

 for ever lost to the world. The Board of Longitude in this country 

 have now the power and the means* of affording similar assist- 

 ance by enlarging the original plan and design of the Nautical 

 Almanac, and by assimilating it to those which are published at 

 Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and other places : a measure which would 

 tend to retrieve the character of the work, and redound to the 

 honour of the country f. 



With the very ample funds (4000Z. per annum) which Govern- 

 ment has placed at the disposal of this new Board, for scientific 

 purposes, united to the known abilities and zeal of its several 

 members, we may confidently hope that a new impulse will soon 



be 



* Extract from the recent Act, 58 Geo. III. cap. 20, § 6. " And whereas 

 it is expedient that the said Commissioners should be enabled to expend 

 certain sums towards making experiments of instruments, modes or pro- 

 posals, and for making and publishing observations, calculations, and tables 

 for ascertaining the longitude, or towards improving or correcting such as 

 may have been already made, or for other purposes useful to navigation; be 

 it enacted that they may pay or expend any sum or sums of money, not ex- 

 ceeding 1000/. in any one year, towards the making, correcting or publish- 

 ing any such experiments, modes, observations, calculations, or tables. 



§ 7. " And whereas it is expedient that the said Commissioners should be 

 enabled to cause to be ascertained, as accurately as may be, the latitude 

 and longitude of places, whereof the exact situation hath not been already 

 sufficiently ascertained ; be it enacted that they may expend or cause to 

 be expended any sum, not exceeding in the whole 1000/. in any one year, 

 for that purpose. 



§ 8. " And whereas it may happen that proposals, inventions and tables, 

 or corrections and amendments of former proposals, inventions or tables, 

 ingenious in themselves and useful to science, and which may deserve encou- 

 ragement, (though they do not come within the limits and conditions speci- 

 fied for the above-mentioned rewards) may be made to the said Commis- 

 sioners ; and it is expedient that they should be enabled to bestow such 

 moderate rewards upon the person or persons who may have made such 

 proposal, invention, or correction ; be it therefore enacted that the said Com- 

 missioners may pay or cause to be paid such sum, not exceeding 500/. to 

 any one person for any one proposal or invention, or 2000/. in one year, as 

 they may con.xider the said proposals, inventions, tables or corrections to de- 

 serve." 



f Amongst the several amendments which might be made to that useful 

 work, I would suggest the propriety and advantage of having the Right 

 Ascension and Declination of the moon in:«erted to seconds of a degree; si- 

 milar to the method now adopted in the Connriis.mucc dcs Terns. This would 

 facilitate the finding of the apparent place of the moon, for the purpose of 

 comparing it with the place of any given star, the position of which is al- 

 ways given in Right Ascension and Declination : and would moreover ob- 

 viate 



