THE PLANETS, ARE THEY INHABITED 1 



with great precision. The observations of Professor Bond were 

 not known in England until the 4th of December ; but the 

 phenomenon was very fully and satisfactorily seen and described 



Ffc. 8. 



30 



40 



by Mr. Dawes, on the 29th oi November. That astronomer, on 

 the 3rd of December, called the attention of Mr. Lassell to it, 

 who also witnessed it on that evening at the observatory of 

 Mr. Dawes ; and both immediately published their observations 

 and descriptions of it, which appeared in Europe simultaneously 

 with those of Professor Bond. 



It was not, however, until 1852 that the transparency was 

 fully ascertained. From some observations made in September, 

 Mr. Dawes strongly suspected its existence ; and about the same 

 time it was clearly seen at Madras by Captain Jacob, and in 

 October by Mr. Lassell at Malta, whither he had removed his 

 observatory to obtain the advantages of a lower latitude and more 

 serene sky. The result of these observations has been the con- 

 60 



