466 Mr. Pond and M. Bessel. — Astronomical Injurmation. 



Wednesday, January l^; and which will be resolved, when 

 the legislative business has been concluded, into an Ordinary 

 Meeting, for the reading of papers, &c. 



XCVI. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



MR. POND AND M. BESSEL. 



TN our last Number we referred to a singular rumour, which 

 -■- had been circulated with much industry, relating to the 

 bending of the telescope attached to the meridian circle at 

 Konigsberg: and we ventured to contradict that report, on 

 the authority of the gentleman to whom the communication 

 was said to have been first made. We have since seen letters 

 from M. Bessel himself, of whom inquiries had been expressly 

 made relative to this assertion ; in one of which he expresses 

 himself thus : 



*' With respect to my catalogue of the declinations of the 

 principal stars, I think the information which you sent me 

 must be founded on some misunderstanding, since I have not 

 the least suspicion that it is wrong. The effect produced by 

 the bending of the telescope of my circle, appears to me to be 

 so well determined that, in this respect, I can expect no further 

 improvement without running the risk of greater inaccuracies. 

 In my method, both of observation and computation, I have 

 never neglected any thing that could have any influence of 

 consequence : therefore I cannot throw any light on what you 

 say, unless some one would point out inaccuracies at present 

 unperceived by me, which might produce an alteration. 



" The whole of my proceedings are laid open to every 

 astronomer in the 7th number of my Observations : and those 

 who devote to them an attentive examination, will have greater 

 confidence in what I have stated, than by listening to any idle 

 reports." 



In another letter M. Bessel expresses himself still more 

 forcibly: but it is unnecessary to multiply this evidence, as we 

 presume the public is by this time convinced of the falsehood 

 of the report above alluded to. 



ASTRONOMICAL INFORMATION. 



The Connaissance des Terns for 1826 is arrived; and con- 

 tains, as usual, a variety of interesting papers which have been 

 read at the Board of Longitude at Paris, and which that 

 learned body present annually to the public. The first is a 

 communication from M. Gambart junior, director of the ob- 

 servatory at Marseilles, of numerous observations made during 

 the years 1820, 21 and 22, of occultations, eclipses of Jupiter's 

 satellites, eclipses of the moon, comets, &c. ; and affords a 



remarkable 



