VOL. LXXXVIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 475 



is well pointed out, and agrees remarkably well with the calculation of the first 

 observation of it. 



The arrangement of the 4 new and the 2 old satellites together will be thus : 

 1st sat. the interior one of Jan. 18, 1790. — 2d sat. the nearest old one of Jan. 11, 

 1787. — 3d sat. the intermediate one of March 26, 1794. — 4th sat. the farthest 

 old one of Jan. 11, 1787. — 5th sat. the exterior one of Feb. 9, 1790. — 6th sat. 

 the most distant one of Feb. 28, 1794. 



Next follow observations and reports tending to the discovery of one or more 

 rings of the Georgian planet, and the flattening of its polar regions. After which, 

 Dr. H. makes these remarks on the foregoing observations : With regard to the 

 phenomena which gave rise to the suspicion of one or more rings, it must be no- 

 ticed, that few specula or object-glasses are so very perfect as not to be affected 

 with some rays or inequalities, when high powers are used, and the object to be 

 viewed is very minute. It seems however, from the observations of March 16, 

 1789, and Feb. 26, 1792, that the cause of deception, in this case, must be looked 

 for elsewhere. It has often happened, that the situation of the eye-glass, being 

 on one side of the tube, which brings the observer close to the mouth of it, has 

 occasioned a visible defect in the view of a very minute object, when proper care 

 has not been taken to keep out of the way ; especially when the wind is in such a 

 quarter as to come from the observer across the telescope. The direction of a 

 current of air alone may also affect vision. Without however entering further 

 into the discussion of a subject that must be attended with uncertainty, I will only 

 add, that the observation of the 26th seems to be very decisive against the exist- 

 ence of a ring. When the surmises arose at first, I thought it proper to suppose, 

 that a ring might be in such a situation as to render it almost invisible ; and that 

 consequently observations should not be given up, till a sufficient time had elapsed 

 to obtain a better view of such a supposed ring, by a removal of the planet from 

 its node. This has now sufficiently been obtained in the course of 10 years ; for, 

 let the node of the ring have been in any situation whatsoever, provided it be kept 

 to the same, we must by this time have had a pretty good view of the ring itself. 

 Placing therefore great confidence on the observation of March 5, 1792, supported 

 by my late views of the planet, I venture to affirm, that it has no ring in the least 

 resembling that, or rather those, of Saturn. 



The flattening of the poles of the planet seems to be sufficiently ascertained by 

 many observations. The 7-feet, the 10-feet, and the 20-feet instruments, equally 

 confirm it ; and the direction pointed out Feb. 26, 1794, seems to be conformable 

 to the analogies that may be drawn from the situation of the equator of Saturn, 

 and of Jupiter. This being admitted, we may without hesitation conclude, that 

 the Georgian planet also has a rotation on its axis, of a considerable degree of 

 velocity. 



Dr. H. then states several reports and observations relating to the light and size 

 of the Georgian satellites, and to their vanishing at certain distances from the 



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