'2 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1750. 



to be paid out of the fines levied on those persons, who had converted the public 

 lands to their own use, for feeding their cattle. 



Ti, the two first letters of the prenomen of the person mentioned in the in- 

 scription, are the usual abbreviation of Tiberius; as a single t is of Titus. 



plavtivs, which follows, denotes the family name, and often occurs in Ro- 

 man writers, as also on coins, where it is sometimes written Plotius, and at other 

 times Plutius. 



DROSvs, the cognomen, he does not remember to have seen so spelt elsewhere, 

 but he doubts not of its being the same as Drusus, which is frequently met 

 with. For thus, as was just now observed, his family name is written three 

 several ways, Plautius, Plotius, and Plutius. 



MAG. II. according to the explication given above, are an abbreviation of the 

 words magister secundi, which stand for pagi magister anni secundi, was the 

 whole to be expressed at length. The word pagus signifies a division or large 

 portion of land, not much unlike what we call a shire or county. 



That the characters n. stand for anni secundi, the date of the time, during 

 which this Drosus had then held that office, is confirmed by several inscriptions 

 published by Gruter. In one of which we have mag. anni. v; in another 

 MAGisTRi. anni. VI; and in two others mag. anni. primi, where the word 

 denoting the time is expressed at length. As these different ways therefore of 

 expressing the time relate to persons, who all bore that title, though not the 

 same office, as appears by the inscriptions, they plaij;ily show in what sense those 

 characters are to be taken here. 



The concluding letters v. s. l. m. which stand for votum solvit libens merito, 

 contain the usual form of dedicating votive monuments. 



But the thing dedicated is not mentioned here, which was most probably a 

 statue or an altar ; and probably the latter, from the number of such inscriptions 

 in Gruter, and other collectors of ancient monuments, taken from altars. 



Observations of the Comet seen at Pekin in 1 748. jilso of an Occultation of 

 Mars by the Moon, Dec. 6, 1747 ; and a Conjunction of Mars and f^eniis in 

 March 1748; also a Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus Jan. 1, 1748. By the 

 Rev. Father ^ug. Hallerstein. N° 494, p. 305. From the Latin. 



April "26, 1748, about 3 in the morning, this comet was first seen from the 

 observatory at Pekin, in China; when the place of it was rudely taken, viz. in 

 18° of ^, with 27° north lat. Its head was equal to a star of the 3d order, and 

 the tail about 1° long. Other observations, when the weather was favourable, 

 were as follow. 



April 27, 2'' morn... 21° 10'^ long 31° 35'n lat. 



28, 2 25 15 36 



29} 2 29 10 40 O 



