l68 l-HILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1704, 



sun's disk, but had not the conveniency to use my longest telescope, because 

 of some trees that were in my way to westward, so that I made no observation 

 till the Tuesday following. June 29, about 7 in the morning, I counted sixteen 

 remarkable spots in the sun's body, in several parts; the foremost centre of six 

 was distant from the sun's anterior limb 81 seconds of time, and the last cluster 

 87. June 30, at 8 this morning the solar spots had greatly increased in num- 

 ber, and strangely changed their places. The cluster of seven spots seemed to 

 me to move gradually, as the single spot did in May, but the cluster of four 

 went too fast forward, the twelve spots without a mist about them straggled all 

 manner of ways, and the nine spots and the five black small ones went back- 

 ward, and unbent itself, at the same time, as it were into a straight line. I am 

 apt to believe it went backward, as that the other went too fast, or faster than 

 ordinary forward, for in 24 hours the foremost cluster advanced 21 seconds of 

 time, which is more by 6 seconds than ever the single spot moved in that time, 

 even when nearest the sun's centre, and the distance in time between the first 

 and the last cluster this day was greater by 3 seconds than the day before. The 

 foremost cluster of four spots was distant from the advancing limb of the sun 

 60 seconds of time. At half past 4, the advancing cluster passed the intersec- 

 tion in 55 seconds of time, after the sun's foremost limb had passed conform- 

 ably to the spot's path; and the last spot passed in 63 seconds of time, the last 

 limb passing the intersection, according to the path of the spot, in 126 seconds 

 of time, the sun's largest diameter passing in 136 seconds: the spots by this 

 time appeared quite black, and of very odd shapes. July 1, at 8 in the morn- 

 ing, the leading and largest spot was distant from the anterior limb 44 seconds 

 of time, the last cluster lying a little oblique, passed in 53 seconds. July 2 

 and 3,. no sun-shine. July 4, this morning at 8 o'clock, the leading spot was 

 distant from the advancing limb 10 seconds of time, the spots and clusters 

 retaining nearly the same shape, but beginning to contract themselves. July 5, 

 at 7 o'clock, I found the spots had quite altered their shape, appearing dull and 

 slender. July 6, at 10 o'clock the sun's disk was found clear of all spots. 

 July 17, about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, I observed some spots in the sun's 

 body, resembling those I saw the 3d of June, only with this difference, that 

 these appeared as if they had been heated red-hot; they seemed to be in the 

 same part of the sun's disk. I observed them above an hour together that day, 

 but could never afterwards see them, nor discover whether they were coming 

 in, or going off his visible disk. I continued to observe the sun as often as 

 was possible, with my 18-foot glass, till the end of the month, but without 

 further success. 



