522 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I67O. 



times of the sun's apogseum and perigaeum, or rather the earth's aphelium and 

 perihelium, when are the slowest and the swiftest annual motions in the zodiac) ; 

 the latter, if considered alone, would cast them upon the two equinoxes, and 

 the two solstices. But if both be jointly considered, they must cast these at 

 some intermediate times between the autumnal equinox in September, and the 

 perigaeum in December ; and again, between this perigaeum, and the following 

 vernal equinox in March. I only mentioned, as a thing very notorious, that it 

 does so constantly fall out on the coasts of Kent, and particularly of Romney- 

 marsh, about Allhallondtide and Candlemas. 



This account of the annual vicissitude is that only to which M. Childrey does 

 except, opposing first, the judgment of seamen, who used to say, either that 

 the time of the year signifies nothing, or, if at all, it is about the equinoxes. 

 Then, that if this be the cause, it will be constant, and that in February as well 

 as in November. And thirdly, that the seamen about Weymouth have not ob- 

 served any thing signal about those times. 



To the first I answer, if not then, but at the equinoxes, then so much of the 

 hypothesis as concerns the eccentricity may be spared, or allowed to be so little 

 as not to be remarkable ; and that of the obliquity alone will give a sufficient 

 account of it. Or if there be no such annual vicissitudes at all, then may that 

 of the obliquity be spared also, and the hypothesis perfect without it. And, 

 till some such be observed and acknowledged, it will be sufficient to say, that, 

 though both the eccentricity and obliquity do cause some inequality in the mo- 

 tion, yet so little as that in the tides it is not remarkable. 



To the second, which concerns matter of fact in Romney-marsh, I say, that, 

 according to the best account I can there get, it is constant, hardly missing, or 

 very seldom, any one year, and as well about Candlemas as about Allhallondtide, 

 every year, though not then so high; of which I think a cause may be very ra- 

 tionally assigned. For, if you consult the tables of the inequality of natural 

 days, you will find, that about one of the extremes (in January) the increase 

 and decrease of the natural days fluctuate very much, sometime increasing 

 sometime decreasing, according as this or that of the two causes, thwarting one 

 another, doth prevail; but about the other extreme (in October) it is much 

 otherwise, the increasings and decreasings going on in a continual course for a 

 long time together. And the same causes, applied to the business of tides, may 

 very rationally be supposed to produce as unequal effects. 



To the third, that the seamen at Weymouth have not observed any such 

 signal effects about Allhallondtide and Candlemas ; it is very possible that they 

 have not, and that nothing signal on those coasts used to happen at those times; 

 for I fix that matter of fact principally on Romney-marsh, and do but by con- 



