VOL. XLIV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 337 



1747, March Q"* 1^^ 4™ It emerged from the enlightened limb a small 



matter to the west of the moon's zenith. 

 44 44- The moon's preceding limb passed the meridian 



in the transitory. 

 44 21 The star passed the meridian. 

 Mr. Short, another gentleman, and Dr. B. agreed to a single second in the 

 immersion, with different telescopes; but the Doctor saw and pronounced the 

 emersion 2 or 3 seconds before them. — There had been an exact observation of 

 the sun's transit at noon ; and the clock gained about half a second a day. 



Surrey-street is accounted 27 seconds in time west of the Royal Observatory 

 at Greenwich. 



An Observation of an Uncommon Gleam of Light proceeding from the Sun. By 

 Mr. Peter Collinson, F. R. S. N° 483, p. 436. 



March 8, 1746-7, near 8 o'clock in the morning, as Mr. C. was riding within 

 3 miles of Brentwood in Essex, there appeared a singular phenomenon in the 

 heavens. The morning was fine and clear, the sun shone bright, no cloud to be 

 seen, but the air a little hazy : where the phenomenon appeared, which was a 

 bright cloudy spot, seemed a very small portion of a rainbow, only the colours 

 very faint. It was in a horizontal direction north of the sun, and from it pro- 

 jected a long luminous ray, which terminated in a point. It continued very 

 strong for more than half an hour after he saw it, and then vanished away by 

 degrees. 



On the Property of New Flannel Sparkling in the Dark. By Mr. Benjamin 



Cook, F.R.S. N°483, p. 457. 

 Since reading the Trans. N° 476, with respect to the sparkling lady, who 

 could communicate a kind of electrical fire to her garments, Mr. C. can give an 

 instance nearly like it, of a lady who was surprised at such an appearance from a 

 flannel petticoat, which she happened to shake in the dark. But at last it was 

 found, that new flannel, after some time wearing, would acquire this property ; 

 but that it lost it by washing. 



On Windsor Loam. By Mr. John Hill, Jpothecary. N° 483, p. 458. 

 An accident calling Mr. Hill to Hedgerley, the place where there is dug an 

 earth commonly called Windsor loam, and famous not only in England, but 

 many other parts of the world, he went to the pits, and informed himself of the 

 present condition of them : and as there appears too much probability that this 

 earth will be exhausted and lost entirely to the world, in a few years, he presumes 



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