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ASTRO NO JMICAL PAPERS. 



39 



The above letter was occafioned by a fliort account I had 

 font to Mr. Penn four days after the tranfit, informhig 

 hull of thefucccfs of our obfervatlons, the times of the con- 

 tads, and afewother circumftauces attending them; which 

 he communicated to Mr. Maikelyne. Since that, Mr. 

 Mafkelyne has received full fatisfad:ion on all the points 

 mentioned in his letter, as complete copies of our different 

 obfervations have been tranfmitted to Dr. Franklin, to com- 

 municate to him, and fuch other aftronomers as he may 

 think proper among his correfpondents in Europe. The 

 particular circuaiUances which I mentioned relative to the 

 lirfl entrance of Venus, was the dufky tremulous fliadow 

 or atmofphere that fcemed to precede her body, and the- 

 light that furrounded that part of her limb not entered on 

 the Sun, which was alfo obferved by the gentleman at 

 Philadelphia, and by Mr. Biddle at the Capes. Which 

 of thefe, or whether both, may be the curious circumftance, 

 or circumftanccs, obferved here, which Mr. Mafkelyne 

 fays the low altitude of the Sun did not permit him to ob- 

 ferve, we cannot tell; as his account of the Greenwich 



obfervations has not yet come to hand. 



W. S. 



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GE NT L E Ivr.E N, 



T doLibdefs niuft appear ftrange to many, that the pa- 

 rallax of the Sun, which isfo important and fundamen- 

 tal an article in aRronomy, has not been fettled by aftro- 

 nomers long ago, as fo many things in that ufcful fcience 

 depend upon it. But this furprifc is leffened by confidering, 

 that the fmallnefs of the parallaaic angle has eluded thci 



moil careful refqarches in all ages, as it is but about 8 or 



9 feconds 



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