IV 



viated much from the mean; but I was of opinion that the true latitude was 

 not the sole object of importance, but that it was also desirable to investigate 

 the erroi's arising from flexibility, or causes not sufficiently known, to which 

 repeating instruments are subject in the southern hemisphere in comparison with 

 those that have been observed in the northern, which could only be effected 

 by a thorough detail of the observations. The longitude of Paramatta is 

 sufficiently known for geographical purposes ; and having always objects of 

 more immediate importance in hand, I was unwilling to devote much time 

 to occultations of fixed stars, there being but little chance of corresponding 

 ones being made in other places. But the occultations of the principal stars 

 and planets have been attended to, as well as eclipses and observations of 

 moon-culminating stars. 



I have next introduced the solstices observed with the repeating and mural 

 circles at Paramatta. The vicinity of the sun to the zenith at the southern 

 solstice rendered the usual methods of reduction insufficient, and a more cor- 

 rect one became necessary, which has already been partly published in the 

 Memoirs of the Astronomical Society. In the observations of the solstices, I 

 had it also in view to ascertain whether the latitude deiived from observations 

 with the repeating circle with the known obliquity from the northern and 

 southern solstice, would exhibit similar anomalies to those observed in Europe. 

 The latitude of Paramatta by the northern solstice is about 4" less than 

 what the southern gives, and the mean obliquity of the ecliptic as ascertained 

 there by the repeating circle is l":7 less than that found by the mural circle, 

 which latter corresponds as nearly as possible with the solar tables. 



The use of observations of the inferior conjunction of Venus and the oppo- 

 sition of Mars in that part of the world, as well as the culminations of the moon 

 for determining their respective parallaxes, is obvious. 



Observations in the southern hemisphere of those errant bodies that cross 

 our system in all directions from the arctic to the antarctic pole, are during 

 this latter part of their orbit the more interesting, as they complete the series 

 of observations made of them by European astronomers, to whom they are 

 then invisible, or whose notice they may have entirely escaped. It was there- 

 fore south of the equator that I chiefly searched for comets. Much time was 

 thus unsuccessfully spent, which I hope will not be perceived in the regular 



