of Bessel's Astronomical Observations. 



S47 



10. Declinations of the fundamental Stars. 



In this observatory two series of observations for the decli- 

 nation of the fundamental stars have been made, the one with 

 Cary's, the other with Reichenbach's circle. The former in- 

 strument, which is smaller, less accurately divided, and fur- 

 nished with a less powerful telescope, gives observations less 

 agreeing among themselves, and liable to greater errors of 

 division ; but the repeated examinations guard against con- 

 stant errors, and the contingent ones may be estimated agree- 

 ably to the laws of probability. There is, consequently, no 

 reason why the first should not appear by the side of the lat- 

 ter, notwithstanding the much greater accuracy which the 

 second one possesses. 



I have suggested, therefore, to Messrs. Rosenberger and 

 Scherck, two much esteemed disciples of mine, to reduce to the 

 year 1 8 1 5 all observations of the fundamental stars made with 

 Cary's circle, applying the quantities for aberration and nuta- 

 tion now in use. They have used for this purpose the re- 

 fractions which have been given to the observations in the 

 journals, and have brought out by a very careful computation 

 the following results : 



