186 COSMOS. 



which the dynasty of Ming ruled. I repeat here (see Cos- 

 mos, vol. i., p. 99), that while from the middle of the third 

 to the end of the fourteenth century it was necessary to cal- 

 culate comets exclusively from the Chinese observations, the 

 calculation of Halley's Cornet, on its appeann ee in the year 

 1456, was the first calculation which was nude from alto- 

 gether European observations, those of Regiomontanus. These 

 latter were again followed by the very accurate observations 

 of Apianus at Ingoldstadt, upon the occasion of the reappear- 

 ance of Halley's Comet in August of the year 1531. In the 

 interval (May, 1500) appeared a magnificently brilliant com- 

 et,* rendered famous by African and Brazilian travels of dis- 

 covery, which was called in Italy Signor Astone, the great 

 Asia. Laugierf has detected, by similarity of the elements 

 in the Chinese observations, a seventh appearance of Hal- 

 ley's Comet (that of 1378) ; as well as that the third comet 

 of 1640, discovered by Galle.J on the 6th of March, appears 

 to be identical with that of 1097. The Mexicans also con- 

 nected events in their records with comets and other ob- 

 servations of the heavens. The Comet of 1490, which I 

 discovered in the Mexican manuscript of St. Tellier, and of 

 which an engraving is inserted in my Monumens des Peuples 

 indigenes de V Amerique. I have found, singularly enough, 

 to be mentioned as having been observed in December of 

 ihat year only in the Chinese comet-register. The Mexi- 

 cans had inserted it in their register twenty-eight years be- 

 fore the first appearance of Cortez upon the coasts of Vera 

 Cruz (Chalchinhcuecan). 



I have, in the Delineations of Nature (Cosmos, vol. i., p. 

 101), treated fully of the "configuration, alterations of form, 



* This is the " evil-disposed" comet to which was ascribed the death 

 of the celebrated Portuguese discoverer Bartholomaeus Diaz, by ship- 

 wreck, as he \v;is sailing to the Cape of Good Hope; Huinbolut, Ex- 

 amen Crit. de VHist. de la Geogr., torn, i., p. 296, aiid torn, v., p. 80. 

 (Sousa, Asia tyring., torn. i.. p. i., cap. v., p. 45.) 



t Laugier. iu the Connaissance des Temps pour fan 1846. p. 99. 

 Compare also Edward Biot, Recherckes su>- les Anciennfs Apparitions 

 Chinoises de la Comete de Halley anterienres a I'annee 1378. op. cii.. p. 

 70-84. 



\ Upon the comet discovered by Galle iu March, 1840, see Schu- 

 macher, Astr. Nachr., bd. xviii.. p. 188. 



See iny Vues des Cordillercs (ed. iu folio), pi. lv., fig. 8, p. 281, 282 

 The Mexicans had also a very correct view of the cause of a solar 

 eclipse. The same Mexican manuscript, written at least a quarter of 

 a century before the arrival of the Spaniards, represents the Sun as al- 

 most entirely covered by the Moon's disk, and with stars visible at the 

 same time. 



