VOL. LXXXIV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 451 



XXFII. j4n Account of an Appearance of Light, like a Star, seen lately in the 

 Dark Part of the Moon, by Thomas Stretton, in St. Johns Square, Clerken- 

 ivell, London ; with Remarks on this Observation, and Mr. IVilhins's. Drawn 

 up, and communicated by the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, D, D., F. R. S. and 

 Astronomer Royal, p. 435. 



Mr. Vince, Fellow of this Society, having acquainted me by letter, early in 

 April last, that a gentleman at Norwich had a month before seen a bright spot 

 on the dark part of the moon, and had made a little drawing of it in his pocket- 

 book, which he promised to send to him, I immediately wrote a letter in answer 

 to Mr. Vince, to desire him to request the gentleman to send the drawing he 

 had promised, and a full account of the phenomenon. Mr. Vince accordingly 

 wrote to the gentleman immediately, Mr. William Wilkins, architect at Nor- 

 wich, which produced the foregoing particular account of his observation, with 

 a drawing of the appearance. 



Soon after, my relation Sir George Booth, Bart, with his lady, being on a 

 visit at the Royal Observatory, on my mentioning Mr. Wilkins's observation. 

 Lady Booth said their servant, who is curious for a person in his situation, and 

 fond of looking at the stars, had some time before seen something extraordinary 

 in the moon. On this I took occasion, on the 28th of April, to question the 

 man about it, taking care at the same time to direct my inquiries so as to give 

 him no hint of what had been seen by Mr. Wilkins. I immediately minuted 

 down the information he gave me, which was as follows. " Some time ago, 

 about 6 in the evening, the moon not being a quarter old, he saw a light like a 

 star, and as large as a middle sized star, but not so bright, in the dark part of 

 the moon. He continued looking at it for a minute or more, during which time 

 it kept the same light, and he then lost sight of it by going into the house. He 

 said he thought it was not the present moon, viz. that which is now almost gone, 

 and that it was not above 7 weeks ago. He was not however certain whether it 

 was 3 weeks or 7 weeks ago. I made a drawing of the moon before him, and 

 desired him to direct me about forming the size of the crescent, and laying down 

 the place of the star-like appearance in the dark part of the moon, which sketch 

 I have subjoined to this account. See pi. 4, fig. 17. 



Lady Booth thought the time of the night, when he saw this appearance, was 

 later, and rather 7 o'clock, for he mentioned it to her immediately after. Not 

 doubting but this phenomenon, seen by Thomas Stretton, in St. John's square, 

 was the same as was seen by Mr. Wilkins at Norwich, and on the same night, I 

 wished to ascertain the time more nearly by some local circumstances, depending 

 on the place from which the phenomenon was seen, and the tops of the houses 

 or chimnies over which it appeared. Accordingly, on the 21st of May, I de- 

 sired Thomas Stretton to stand in the same place he did when he saw the ap- 



3 M 2 



