[ 399 ] 



XII. Fifth and Sixth Catalogues of the Comparative Brightness of the Stars in 

 Continuation of those Printed in the ' Philosophical Transact ions of the 

 Royal Society' for 179fi-91>. 



By Dr. HEESCHEL, LL.D., F.R.S. 



Prepared for Press from the Original MS. Record* by Col. J. HERSOLIEL, 



It.K, F.It.S. 



Received July '24, Read December 7, 190;). 



IN the 86th, 87th, and 89th volumes of the l Philosophical Transactions of the 

 Royal Society' for 1796, 1797, and 1799 there appeared a series of four papers 

 by Sir WILLIAM (then Dr.) HKRSCHEL containing- the description and results of 

 observations made by him of the "Comparative Lustres of Stars" visible to the 

 naked eye in northern latitudes. They were arranged in six " Catalogues," of which 

 four were actually published, as above. Apparently two more were to have followed, 

 containing the remaining constellations. The annexed Tables show the distribution 

 of the constellations among the six Catalogues. 



It is not known what prevented the completion of the design at the time. Drafts 

 of the intended Fifth and Sixth Catalogues exist among Sir WILLIAM'S papers, 

 prepared, as the previous four had been, by Miss CAROLINE HERSCHEL, by abstraction 

 from the body of his observations of various kinds, entitled "Abstract of Sweeps and 

 Reviews." 



Circumstances which it is unnecessary to detail have now led to the revision (and 

 correction where called for) of these drafts and to their publication in the following 

 pages, in the same form as those in the earlier volumes. To save reference to the 

 latter, the following extract will explain the symbols used to denote relative 

 brightness. These are more fully described and illustrated in the pages immediately 

 preceding those from which the extract is made, viz., pp. 187-9 of vol. 86. 



"Introductory Remarks and Explanations of the Arrangement and Character* 



" used in the following Catalogue. 



" This Catalogue contains nine constellations, which are arranged in alphabetical 

 " order. I have called the present collection the first catalogue. The rest of the 

 VOL. CCV. A 398. 2.3.06 



