NEW STARS. 219 



magnitude; viz. the star which appeared in Cygrnis in 1600, 

 and that in Vulpes in 1670, which were both of the 3rd, 

 and Hind's new star in Ophiuchus in 1848, which is of the 

 5th magnitude. 



It is much to be regretted, as we have already observed, 

 that after the invention of the telescope in the long period 

 of 178 years, only two new stars have been seen, whereas 

 these phenomena have sometimes occurred in such rapid 

 succession, that at the end of the fourth century four 

 were observed in twenty-four years ; in the thirteenth 

 century, three in sixty-one years; and during the era of 

 Tycho Brahe and Kepler at the end of the sixteenth and 

 beginning of the seventeenth centuries, no less than six w r ere 

 observed within a period of thirty-seven years. Throughout 

 this examination I have kept in view the Chinese obser- 

 vations of extraordinary stars, most of which, according to 

 the opinion of the most eminent astronomers, are deserving 

 of our confidence. Why it is that of the new stars seen in 

 Europe, that of Kepler in Ophiuchus (1604) is in all pro- 

 bability recorded in the records of Ma-tuan-lin, while that 

 of Tycho in Cassiopeia (1572) is not noticed, I for my part 

 am as little able to explain as I am to account for the 

 fact, that no mention was made in the sixteenth century 

 among European astronomers, of the great luminous pheno- 

 menon which was observed in China in February, 1578. The 

 difference of longitude (114) could only in a few instances 

 account for their not being visible. Whoever has been 

 engaged in such investigations, must be well aware that the 

 want of record either of political events or natural pheno- 

 mena, either upon the earth or in the heavens, is not inva- 

 riably a proof of their never having taken place ; and on com- 

 paring together the three different catalogues which are given 

 in Ma-tuan-lin, we actually find comets (those for instance of 

 1385 and 1495), mentioned in one but omitted in the others. 



