86 Caroline Lucretia Herschel. 



have any answer to my letters, or my brother return, I 

 would not wish to be thought neglectful, and therefore if 

 you think, sir, the following description is sufficient, and 

 that more of my brother's astronomical friends should be 

 made acquainted with it, I should be very happy if you 

 would be so kind as to do it for the sake of astronomy. 



The comet is a little more than 3^ following a Andro- 

 meda, and about 1 above the parallel of that star. I saw 

 it first on April 17th, 16 h 24' sidereal time, and the first 

 view I could have of it last night was 16' 1 5'. As far as I 

 am able to judge, it has decreased in P. D. nearly 1, and 

 increased in A. R. something above 1'. 



These are only estimations from the field of view, and I 

 only mention it to show that its motion is not so very rapid. 



I am, &c., 



C. H. 



MISS HERSCHEL TO ALEX. AUBERT, ESQ. 



SLOUGH, April 18, 1790. 

 DEAR Sin, 



I am almost ashamed to write to you, because I 

 never think of doing so but when I am in distress. I found 

 last night, at 16 h 24' sidereal time, a comet, and do not 

 know what to do with it, for my new sweeper is not half 

 finished; and besides, I broke the handle of the perpendi- 

 cular motion in my brother's absence (who is on a little 

 tour into Yorkshire). He has furnished me to that instru- 

 ment a Rumboides, but the wires are too thin, and I have 

 no contrivance for illuminating them. All my hopes were 

 that I should not find anything which would make me feel 

 the want of these things in his absence ; but, as it happens, 

 here is an object in a place where there is no nebula, or 

 anything which could look like a comet, and I would be 

 much obliged to you, sir, if you would look at the place 



