Miscellaneous Intelligence. 275 
But it is after nightfall that our sky appears in its highest brilliancy 
and beauty. hough accustomed to wate e heavens in different 
Persian summer evening. Itis not too much to say that, were it not for 
the interference of the moon, we should have seventy-five nights in the 
three summer months, superior for purposes of observation to the very 
i i When 
first came here, I brought with mea six-feet Newtonian telescope, of 
five inches aperture, of my own manufacture ; and though the mirrors 
have since been much tarnished, and the instrument otherwise injured, 
laa, it occurred to me that I was in the most favorable circumstances 
Possible for testing the power of.the unassisted eye, and | determined 
at.once to make some experiments on the subject. My attention was, 
i derable time, with no 
daylight was fading into darkness, and thought I would watch 
yself. 
re visible is hardly more than 
ten minutes. The planet itself soon mes so bright that they are 
lost in its rays. I will not stop to discuss the question, in itself a most 
uleresting one, why they are visble at all, when stars of the third and 
Surth magnitudes are not distinguishable, but merely give you the 
facts jn the case, knowing that you will reason on them much better 
"han Lean. Both the fixed stars and the planets shine here with a beau- 
tifully steady light, and there is very little twinkling when they are 
Y degrees above the horizon. 
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