VOL. LXXXIV.] VHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 453 



patible. The appulse of Aldebaran to, and subsecjuent occultation by the moon's 

 disc, was predicted in the nautical ahnanac, and observed by many. I observed 

 its eclipse at the moon's dark, limb at 6^ 47"" 30% and its emersion from the 

 moon's bright limb, at 7^ 30™ 3^ mean time, at Greenwich.* 



The appearance of the spot of light on the moon's dark part, and its subse- 

 quent sudden disappearance at Norwich, happened near 8 o'clock ; and the ob- 

 servation of the star on the moon at St. John's-square happened about the same 

 time. I would then ask the persons who make the objection, how could 2 per- 

 sons, at 2 distant places, see a star appear on the dark part of the moon, at a 

 considerable distance within its circumference, while it was really off it, especially 

 as they were both long sighted ? and particularly, how could the immersion be 

 observed near 8 o'clock, which really happened at 54 minutes past 6, or above an 

 hour before ? If it be supposed that the persons saw Aldebaran after its emersion 

 fi-om' the moon's bright limb, that is, after half past 7, it becomes still more 

 difficult to conceive that a star, really on the bright side of the moon, should, by 

 some illusion or optic fallacy, cross that bright part to appear on the dark part ; 

 besides, this supposition does not account for the sudden disappearance of the star. 



Mr. Vince has lately informed me, that he had seen and conversed with Mr. 

 Wilkins on the subject ; who expressed himself to be certain both of the time 

 and place on the dark part of the moon's disc, where he saw the star-like appear- 

 ance within the circumference. I shall make no conjectures on the cause to 

 which this extraordinary phenomenon may be attributed ; but only remark, that 

 it is probably of the same nature with that of the light seen of late years in the 

 dark part of the moon by our ingenious and indefatigable astronomer. Dr. 

 Herschel, with his powerful telescopes, and formerly by the celebrated Dominic 

 Cassini ; though this has been so illustrious as to have been visible to the naked 

 eye, and probably equal in appearance to a star of the 3d magnitude. 



END OF THE EIGHTY-FOURTH VOLUME OF THE ORIGINAL. 



/. The Croonian Lecture on Muscular Motion. By Everard Home, Esq. F.R.S. 

 Anno \ 7 95. Fol. LXXXF. p. 1. 



When I had the honour last year of presenting an apology for the unfinished 

 state in which Mr. Hunter left the Croonian lecture, I laid before the r. s. the 

 plan on which he meant to proceed ; but my mind was at that time unfitted to 



* The immersion at Norwich, on account of tlie differeDce of parallax, would happen about a 

 minute and an half later, and the emersion as much sooner ; and considering also the difference of 

 meridians, by which Norwich is 5 minutes of time to the east of Greenwich, the immersion at Nor- 

 wich must have happened at 6*' 54", and the emersion at 7'' 33" mean time. 



