VOL. XLVI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. (JS 



the same inconvenience. On the 11th, which was the hottest day of all, the 

 thermometer in the sun's rays stood 1 1° above the heat of human blood ; and in 

 the shade only 8° below it. The distance between freezing and the heat of hu- 

 man blood being divided into 100 parts. An inch of tallow, -i\ of an inch in 

 diameter, liquefied in the sun in less than 30 minutes. A piece of resin, -^ of 

 an inch in diameter, became so soft as to be liable to take any impression in the 

 same time. 



About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when the sky is clear, is the hottest part of 

 the day ; but clouds mostly came on about that time on these days. 



Several horses dropped down dead under their masters, overcome by this violeqt 

 heat. 



j4 Total Eclipse of the Moon, observed Dec. 2, 1750, in the Morning in the 

 Strand, London, about 5' of Time West of St. PauCs, and 27' West of the 

 Roijal Observatory at Greenwich. By Dr. Bevis and Mr. James Short, F. R. S. 

 N° 496, p. 575. 



A sensible penumbra (Dec. 1) at 16" 32'" O^ 



The eclipse judged to begin at ]6 36 50 



Total immersion at 17 36 5 



The moon begins to emerge 1 9 14 33 



The moon was now got so low, and day-light so far advanced, that no more 

 phases could be observed with any degree of certainty. These observations were 

 made with a reflecting telescope, that magnified 40 times, and a refracting tele- 

 scope, which magnified 1 2 times , and the times were the same through these 2 

 telescopes ; for the air was exceedingly clear, and the shadow well defined, the 

 penumbra being scarcely sensible. 



Here follows a computation, made from Dr. Halley's tables, by Mr. John 

 Catlin, of Guy's hospital ; and sent to Mr. Short the day before the eclipse. 

 Beginning of the moon's eclipse. (Dec. 1)... 16** 44™ 31* 



Immersion at 17 42 45 



Emersion at I9 20 37 



End at 20 18 51 



Hence it appears, that the eclipse began about 8 minutes sooner than the com 

 putation from Dr. Halley's tables gave it ; but the computation which Mr. Brent 

 made and published some time before the eclipse happened, was within a minute 

 of the time observed ; and this exactness he imputes to his leaving out 3 of the 

 7 equations of the moon, published by Sir Isaac Newton in his theory of the moon. 



An Account of some Experiments, made by Benjamin Robins, Esq. F.R.S., Mr. 

 Samuel Da Costa, and several other Gentlemen, in order lo discover the Height 



