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up only with optical aid, though when once detected 

 it could be made out as a very dim object without the 

 glass. That evening's sky, scoured as it had been by 

 squalls during the day, was, I think, a fair test of the 

 comet's visibility, by which it would seem that the 

 decline in " brightness " with us was more rapid than 

 was anticipated. 



In South Africa, they were more fortunate. Among 

 the communications sent to impress that fact upon 

 me was one from Mr. J. Holborow, of Mount Frere, 

 Griqualand East, Cape Colony, who was convinced 

 that if I could be so enthusiastic over the heavens 

 in my " smoky atmosphere," I would have been en- 

 raptured with the truly superb spectacle afforded by 

 the comet, fairly low down on the horizon, Venus a 

 little higher, and the moon above all, in an absolutely 

 cloudless sky. " The combined light was so brilliant 

 that reading a newspaper was quite easy, and a range 

 of mountains to the north stood out so boldly that 

 kloofs and patches of forest could be seen quite dis- 

 tinctly, fourteen miles away, and the sky line for many 

 miles farther." My brother, Mr. S. K. Elgie, of Dur- 

 ban, drew for my edification an enormous object, full, 

 however, of eloquence of what an imposing sight 

 " Halley's " must have been to the Natalians. 



It is clear that we Northerners were most shame- 

 fully robbed of the spectacle by the horizon haze and 

 the twilight, which conspired to obliterate just that 

 part of the comet which would have lent impressive- 

 ness to the view. 



