VOL. LIV.] VHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 113 



of thesky, he thinks it must have really happened sooner, by 10 or 15 seconds, 

 as he judged from the first perceivable distance of the cusps ; so that if he states 

 it at Q^ 4"* 53% he presumes, he shall err but a very few seconds. About the 

 middle of the eclipse, the air was very clear, and the cusps well defined, which 

 wanted about 6o degrees of joining. He could not then discern any thing on 

 the sun about the moon's limb, which in the least indicated a lunar atmosphere 

 A full digit of the sun, or more, remained uneclipsed. The day-light was but 

 inconsiderably diminished ; so that neither Jupiter nor Venus could be seen, 

 though both in a favourable position, to the east of the sun. Fahrenheit's 

 thermometer, placed without door to the north, stood at 50 when the eclipse 

 began, and fell but one division while it lasted. The end of the eclipse could 

 not be observed for thick clouds. 



The Moon's Eclipse of March lyth, 17^4, obseived in Surrey-street, in the 

 Strand, London. By Dr. Bevis. p. 107. 



Apparent time. 



lO** 32*" O* the penumbra just sensible to the naked eye. 



10 39 O the beginning, viewed with an opera glass. 



13 16 30 the end of the eclipse, with an opera glass. 

 24 O the moon clear of the penumbra. 

 The shadow was ill defined, though the air was clear. 



XIX. Observations on the Lunar Eclipse March 1 7s and the Solar Eclipse, April 

 I, 1764, made at Liverpool. By Mr. James Ferguson, F.R.S. p. 108. 



The clock being duly adjusted by our meridian line, at noon, and the time 

 being found by observations of several stars in the evening of March 17, the 

 apparent time of the beginning of the moon's eclipse was observed to be at 

 10'' 27™ p. m. and the end at 13*' 11"". 



The Su7i\i Eclipse observed April 1 . 

 gh 5Qm Qs eclipse begun, the sun's altitude 28° 37', 



10 21 O — 104- digits, the greatest observation. 



11 50 45 eclipse ended, the sky quite clear. Sun's altitude 41° 27' O". 

 Between the beginning and the middle of the eclipse, he could plainly 



perceive inequalities in the moon's eastern limb on the sun, by means of the 

 reflecting telescope ; and he often observed little tremulous bright specks of the 

 sun's lower edge in the otherwise dark place just before, or west of the lower 

 cusp ; but they vanished in an instant, except one which was considerably larger 

 than any of the rest, and was visible for about 2 seconds of time by estimation. 

 This undoubtedly was owing to a dent or valley in that part of the limb of the 

 moon, which no hill beyond it took off from the sight. But as the eclipse was 

 drawing toward the end, he could perceive no inequalities of the moon's western 



VOL. XII. Q 



