414 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [ ANNO 1753. 



XLVIII. A Lfitter of Mr. IVilliam Sherrington to Benjamin Franklin, Esq. 



concerning the Transit of Mercury over the Sun, on the 6th of Maij 1753, as 



observed in the Island of Antigua. Communicated by Mr. Peter Collinson, 



F.R.S. Dated Antigua, June 10, 1753. p. 318. 



Sunday, May 6, at 6" 7™ 31% he observed the western limb of Mercury to 

 touch the western limb of the sun; and, at 6^ 10"" 37% he touched the same 

 with his eastern limb, and totally disappeared. Lat. of the place 17° O' n. Lon. 

 by estimation 6l° 45' w. from London. This was taken by a Graham's watch, 

 and corrected by two altitudes taken by a most exquisite quadrant; which makes 

 the true apparent time of the transit at 6^ 6™ 32' 32'". 



XLIX. Of the Barometer and the State of the fVeather, at Dublin, from March 

 7, 1752, to Feb. 1753. By James Simon, Esq. F.R.S. p. 320. 



This register contains the daily height of the barometer, with the state of the 

 weather, as to wind, rain, &c. but is of no manner of consequence now. 



L. A Second Account of the Netv Method of Opening the Cornea, for taking away 

 the Cataract. By Samuel Sharp, Surgeon to Guystiospital, and F.R.S. 

 p. 322. 



Mr. S. here gives a short account of the success of his new method of remov- 

 ing a cataract, with some observations on the principal phenomena attending 

 this operation ; to which he adds a description of a further improvement of the 

 operation itself. For a fuller view of the history of these cases, he has here set down 

 the ages of the patients, the dates of the days on which they underwent the ope- 

 ration, and the particular circumstance of its being done on one or both eyes. 

 This was a list of 1 1 patients, from 48 to JO years of age, on whom the opera- 

 tion had been performed. 



From this catalogue it appears, that the operation had been performed on \Q 

 eyes ; and, from the most exact information, which he had been able to procure, 

 the state of the success stood thus : ac, ad, af, ag, al, all whom had the ope- 

 ration performed on both eyes, had every one of them recovered the sight of 

 both eyes, to as great a perfection as can be supposed, without the help of the 

 crystalline humour ; that is, they could read and WTite, with proper spectacles. 

 The first of them, ac, had found so much benefit, as to be able to carry on the 

 exercise of his profession, that of a surgeon, ah saw with both eyes, hut not so 

 well as the other 5. He had received an account from the surgeon, who had 

 attended her (in a distant country), that her eyes looked well, and her sight im- 

 proved.* ai, another patient, at a distance froln London, had the operation 

 done on one eye only ; which he recovered, as his correspondent informs him. 



