412 Great Comet of 1843. 



be well to mention that Clark County is situated between the Alabama 

 and Tombigbee Rivers, about one hundred miles north of Mobile. % 

 For a knowledge of this huge being of a former and remote age, the 

 public are greatly indebted to Judge Creagh, who kindly assisted and 

 furnished hands to assist in digging out the bones, and provided mate- 

 rials to make the boxes for containing them. He also had them con- 

 veyed to the Tombigbee River, (twelve miles,) after which he refused 

 to take any compensation from one who went to his house a stranger, 

 without even a letter of introduction. The skeleton was sent via Mo- 

 bile to New York, where it is at present in fourteen large boxes, some 

 few of which have been opened to gratify the curiosity of several sci- 

 entific gentlemen, who are ready to testify that we have a unique and 

 veritable skeleton of the Zygodon. 



Art. XIX.— Notice of the Great Comet of 1843. 



On Tuesday, the 28th of February, 1843, a brilliant body resembling 

 a comet, situated near the Sun, was seen in broad daylight, by numerous 

 observers in various parts of New England. It was discovered on the 

 same day at Waterbury, Salem, and Wolcott, Conn. ; New Bedford, 

 Braintree and Haverhill, Mass. ; Woodstock and Rutland, Vt. ; Plymouth 

 and Concord, N. H. ; Gray and Portland, Me., and doubtless also in 

 many other places from which no announcement has been received. 



From Drs. G. L. Piatt and M. C. Leavenworth, and Messrs. S. W. Hall, 

 Alfred Blackman, and N. J. Buel, of Waterbury, who in common with 

 a large part of the adult population of that town, observed this remarka- 

 ble phenomenon with great interest, the following particulars have been 

 obtained. The comet was there first noticed as early as half past seven 

 o'clock in the morning, the sky at the time being quite clear. It was 

 seen as late as 3 P. M. ; after which time the sky was considerably ob- 

 scured by clouds and haziness. The appearance was that of a luminous 

 globular body with a short train ; — the whole taken together being esti- 

 mated at two or three degrees in length ; its position, east of and be- 

 low the Sun. A comparison of the various diagrams made by observers 

 at Waterbury, gives the place of the nucleus of the comet at 10 A. M-, 

 Feb. 28, in R. A. 345i°, S. decl. 9°; but as the diagrams are not en- 

 tirely consistent, this determination cannot be relied upon within about 

 one degree in each element. It is greatly to be regretted that the obser- 

 vations were not more precise, but it is to be hoped that accurate deter- 

 minations were made by navigators in various parts of the world, by some 

 of whom the comet was undoubtedly detected on that day. 



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