124 SCENERY OF THE HEAVENS. 



This was one of the largest comets ever observed, and would have appeared an extra 

 ordinary object if circumstances had been favourable to its exhibition to us. Its 

 train must have extended through celestial space to the enormous length of a hundred 

 and sixty millions of miles. It was travelling with prodigious velocity away from the 

 sun, having doubled the solar orb upon first becoming visible, and soon vanished 

 from terrestrial gaze in the immensities of the universe. In South Africa its appear 

 ance was very distinct. Mr Maclear, at the observatory in the neighbourhood of Cape 

 Town, states : " Of the casual observatory phenomena, the grand comet of March 

 takes precedence ; and few of its kind have been so splendid and imposing. I remember 

 that of 1811 : it was not half so brilliant as the late one. Immersed in the ravines 

 of the Cedar-berg, with high and precipitous ranges on each side of me, I made stre 

 nuous efforts to reach the Snew-berg station, to command a view of the sudden visitor. 

 Those unacquainted with the character of the Cedar-berg cannot form a conception of the 

 difficulties I had to encounter. For seventeen days we toiled on, tantalised every evening 

 by seeing a portion of the tail over the mountain tops, and sometimes a sight of its bright 

 head, as openings in the mountains permitted." 



This comet, as observed at Washington, is thus described by Lieutenant Maury, in a 

 communication from the Hydrographical Office in that city: "On Monday morning, 

 March 6, our attention was called to a paragraph in the newspapers, stating that a comet 

 was visible near the sun at mid-day with the naked eye. The sky was clear ; but, not 

 being able to discover any thing with the unassisted eye, recourse was had to a telescope, 

 without any better success. About sunset in the evening the examination was renewed 

 with great diligence, but to no purpose. The last faint streak of day gilded the west, 

 beautiful and delicate fleeces of cloud curtained the bed of the sun, the upper sky was 

 studded with stars, and all hopes of seeing the comet that evening had vanished. Soon 

 after we had retired, the officer of the watch announced the appearance of the comet in 

 the west. The phenomenon was sublime and beautiful. The needle was greatly agitated ; 

 and a strongly marked pencil of light was streaming up from the path of the sun in an 

 oblique direction to the southward and eastward ; its edges were parallel. It was 1 30' 

 broad, and 30 long. Stars could be seen twinkling through it, and no doubt was at first 

 entertained but that this was the tail of the comet. The officer of the watch was directed 

 to search the eastern sky with the telescope in the morning, from early dawn and before, 

 till sunrise. Nothing strange or uncommon was noted by him. Tuesday was a beautiful 

 day. The sun was clear, gilding, as it sunk below the hills, a narrow streak of cloud, 

 seen through the tree-tops beyond the Potomac. The tail had appeared of great length 

 for the first time the evening before ; therefore we expected to find its length this evening 

 greatly increased. It was a moment of intense interest when the first stars began to 

 appear. The last rays of the sun still lingered on the horizon, and at this moment a well 

 defined pencil of hairy light was seen pointing towards the sun. At 5 h. 41 m. sidereal 

 time, the first measurement of length of the tail was taken ; it measured 41 to the horizon. 

 At 6h. 19 m. it had become most distinct. It was then 1 45' broad, and 55 long, not 

 including the part below the horizon, which, supposing its terminus to be near the sun, 

 could not, owing to the oblique angle which it made with the horizon, be less than 10 or 

 15 more. It now commenced gradually to fade away, and in a short time had entirely 

 disappeared. The morning observations were diligently renewed, but nothing could be 

 seen worthy of note." A letter dated March 22d from Constantinople records the advent 

 of the visitor in that region, and the various speculations of its mongrel population 

 concerning it : " The attention of the public has been called from terrestrial to celestial 

 matters within the last week, by the appearance of a luminous body in the southern 

 hemisphere, by some declared to be a comet of extraordinary magnitude, by others a 



