SCENERY IN A PATCH 



the scale against the claims of Halley, whose prediction was 

 the result of careful comparison, and as such boldly pub- 

 lished to the world. 



In the autumn of 1811, within the memory of many of the 

 present generation, by far the finest comet suddenly appeared 

 to adorn our heavens, that has been seen since the age of New- 

 ton. It was first beheld in Great Britain in the beginning 

 of September, and was visible for more than three months 

 in succession to the naked eye, shining with great splendor, 

 the observed of all observers. This was a comet of the first 

 class in point of magnitude and luminosity. Its brilliant 

 tail, at its greatest elongation, had an extent of 123 mil- 

 lions of miles, by a breadth of 15 millions ; and thus 

 supposing the nucleus of the comet to have been placed on 

 the sun, and the tail in the plane of the orbits of the planet 

 it would have reached over those of Mercury, Yenus, the 

 Earth, and have bordered on that of Mars. At its nearest 

 approach to us, the comet was yet distant 141 millions of 

 miles, so that even had the tail pointed to the earth, its ex- 

 tremity would have been 18 millions of miles away from its 

 surface. The following are the calculations respecting its 

 period of revolution : 



Years. 

 3056 

 3383 



Authority. 

 Callendrelli 

 - Bessel 



Years. 

 3757 

 4237 



Authority. 



Ferrer 



Lemaur. 



The mind is astounded at a journey requiring the least of 

 these cycles for its accomplishment a period equal to that 

 extending from the fabulous age of Grecian story to the pres- 

 ent ; nor is the thought less wonderful, of the chain of solar 

 influence following the traveler through the whole of its 

 course, and preventing its elopement into the regions of 

 immensity. The laws of the system, indeed, impose upon 

 the long-period comets vast differences of velocity. The 

 same body that rushes round the sun at the nearest point of 

 contact with prodigious speed, will move but sluggishly 



