TOL. v.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 45/ 



as appears in his letters to Mersennus, viz. the 24th and 53d of the 2d vol. 

 where he affirms, that comparing his principles with the Mosaic History, he 

 had found to his wonder, that the latter could be much better explained accord- 

 ing to the former, than by any other of all those ways wherein interpreters 

 have hitherto explained it. To evince this, our author has taken the pains to 

 make a parallel between the first chapter of Genesis, and the principles of 

 Descartes. 



A Letter of John Efelyn, Esq. to the Right Hon. Lord Fis^ 

 count Brouncker, Chancellor to her Majesty and President of 



" the Royal Society, &?c. concerning the Spanish Sembrador, or New 

 Engine for Ploughing, and equal Sotting all Sorts of Grain, and 

 Harrowing, at once; hy which a great Quantity of Seed-corn is saved ^ 

 and a inch Increase yearly gained; together with a Description of the 

 Contrivance and Uses of this Engine. Englished out of Spanish, and 

 lately presented to the Royal Society. N° 60, p. 1056. 



This paper contains the description and use of a drill plough, for sowing corn 

 at equal depth and distance, &c. It was invented by an Austrian, but carried 

 into Spain, and there made use of. The long account of it is here omitted, as 

 useless at this time ; being far inferior to the drill ploughs now employed in 

 England. 



An Account of a Halo seen at Paiis: also, on the Cause of these Meteors, 

 and ofParhelias or Mock Suns. By M. Huygens. N" 60, p. 1065. 



This halo, or circle about the sun, was observed at Paris, March 12, 1667, 

 about nine o'clock in the morning. 



The diameter of this circle was 44 degrees, and the breadth of its limb about 

 half a degree. The upper and lower part were of a vivid red and yellow, with 

 a little purple colour, but especially the upper ; the red was within the circle. 

 The other parts appeared but whitish and of little clearness. The space within 

 the halo was a little darker than that about it, especially towards the parts that 

 were coloured. Besides, there was seen the portion of another great circle, 

 which touched the halo above, and whose extremities were bent downward, as 

 is represented in fig. 1, pi. 12. This portion of a circle had also its colours like 

 those of the halo, but fainter. The height of the sun, at the beginning of the 

 observation, was about 46 degrees. There were in the air little clouds, which 

 somewhat tarnished the blue colour of the sky, and lessened the brightness of 



VOL. I. 3 M 



