COMETS. 



185 



number of comets in the universe appears to hold good : %u 

 jrisccs in oceano. 



Of not less importance is the careful catalogue of comets 

 which have appeared in China, and which Edward Biot has 

 made known from the collection of Ma-tuan-lin. It reaches 

 back beyond the foundation of the Ionic school of Thales and 

 the Lydian Alyattes, and comprises, in two sections, the place 

 of the comets from 613 years before our own era until 1222 

 years afterward, and then from 1222 to 1644, the period in 



sion during seven equal periods, 13, 10, 2, 10, 4, 4, and 9. The follow- 

 ing are the individual years : 



1500—1550 



13 Com. 

 1600—1650 



1607 



1618 



2 Corn. 



1700—1750 

 1702 

 1744 

 1784 (2) 



4 Com. 



1550—1600 



10 Com. 

 1650—1700 



1652 



1664 



1665 



1668 



1672 



1680 



1682 



1686 



1689 



1696 



10 Com. 

 1750—1800 

 1759 

 1766 

 1769 

 1781 



4 Com. 



1800—1850 

 1807 

 1811 

 1819 

 1823 

 1830 

 1835 

 1843 

 1845 

 1847 



9 Com. 



Of the 28 Comets visible to the naked eye which are here enumei*ated 

 in the sixteenth century (the epoch of Apianus, Girolamo Fracastoro, 

 Landgravine William IV. of Hesse, Mastlin, and Tycho), 10 were de- 

 scribed by Pingre, namely, those of 1500, 1505, 1506, 1512, 1514, 1516, 

 1518, 1521, 1522, and 1530; further, the Comets of 1531, 1532, 1533, 

 1556, 1558, 1569, 1577, 1580, 1582, 1585, 1590, 1593, and 1596. 



