COMETS. 



185 



number of comets in the universe appears to hold good : ut 

 pisces in oceano. 



Of not less importance is the careful catalogue of comets 

 which have appeared in China, and which Edward Biot has 

 made known from the collection of Ma-tuan-lin. It reaches 

 back beyond the foundation of the Ionic school of Thales and 

 the Lydian Alyattes, and comprises, in two sections, the place 

 of the comets from 613 years before our own era until 1222 

 years afterward, and then from 1222 to 1644, the period in 



sion during seven equal periods, 13, 10, 2, 10, 4, 4, and 9. The follow- 

 ing are the individual years : 



15001550 



13 Com. 



16001650 



1607 



1618 



2 Com. 



17001750 

 1702 

 1744 

 1784 (2) 



4 Com. 



15501600 



10 Com. 

 16501700 



1652 



1664 



1665 



1668 



1672 



1680 



1682 



1686 



1689 



1696 



10 Com. 



17501800 



1759 



1766 



1769 



1781 



4 Com. 



18001850 

 1807 

 1811 

 1819 

 1823 

 1830 

 1835 

 1843 

 1845 

 1847 

 9 Com. 



Of the 28 Comets visible to the naked eye which are here enumerated 

 in the sixteenth century (the epoch of Apianus, Girolamo Fracastoro, 

 Landgravine William IV. of Hesse, Mastlin, and Tycho), 10 were de- 

 scribed by Pin^re, namely, those of 1500, 1505, 1506, 1512, 1514, 1516, 

 1518, 1521, 1522, and 1530; further, the Comets of 153L, J532, 1533, 

 1556, 1558, 1569, 1577, 1580, 1582, 1585, 1590, 1593. and 1596. 



