Miscellanies. 389 



the horizon promised little reward to any efforts that might be bestowed 

 upon it. It was observed here with the 14 feet reflector of Mr. Smith, 

 described in the last number of this Journal, and with particular refer- 

 ence to its size and actual appearance. There was no decided or clearly 

 defined nucleus, but its degree of condensation towards the center, was 

 about as much as in the kind of nebulae described by Sir J. Herschel as 

 " suddenly much brighter in the middle." The nucleus was excentric, 

 the coma being less extensive on the side opposite the sun than elsewhere. 

 The greatest diameter of the coma was in this telescope fully 12' ; its 

 least not more than f as much, and in the direction of a line drawn to- 

 wards the sun. The expected occultation of the star i Herculis, which 

 was not visible in Europe, was observed here. It did not occult it, but 

 preceded it when nearest by about 10 or 15 seconds of time. A small star 

 of the 9th or 10th magnitude about 5' south preceding ^, was almost central- 

 ly occulted, but before the nucleus had quite reached it, the comet was too 

 low to be observed ; the nucleus had approached within 30" of the star, 

 and in a few minutes, would have either occulted it or passed very near it 

 on the side next to i Herculis. 



The Bibliotheque Universelle of Geneva gives an abstract of the Ephe- 

 meris of this comet, as calculated by M. Bremiker, under the direction of 

 M. Encke. Its present return is peculiarly interesting on account of its 

 near approch to Mercury, from which its nearest distance is not two mil- 

 lions of miles. The perturbations of the comet, arising from this so 

 close proximity to the planet, will furnish data, from which the mass of 

 Mercury, hitherto little more than conjectural, may be known to a 

 great degree of exactness. The full advantage of these data for the cal- 

 culation of the mass and density of Mercury, will not, however, be real- 

 ized, until future returns of the comet have more completely fixed its 

 elements. 



It is somewhat remarkable, that since the return of Halley's comet, no 

 other than this has been seen in any part of the world. E. P. M. 



Yale College, December 29, 1838. 



20. Grave of Godfrey, the inventor of the Quadrant, and of Charles 

 Thomson. — It will be interesting to the friends of science to learn that 

 the remains of Thomas Godfrey, the undoubted inventor of the Quad- 

 rant, have been rescued from oblivion and removed to the beautiful cem^ 

 etery of Laurel Hill, near Philadelphia. Mr. Godfrey had been interred 

 on the farm of his father, near Germantown ; in the course of time, the 

 family burial ground was crossed by a cart road, and the old soapstone 

 monument of the father, bearing date 1705, was knocked regularly by a 

 cart wheel every time it passed, and was thus much defaced. This em- 

 phatically exhibits the folly of interring on farms, which must pass, in this 

 country, after a few generations, into other families. . - 



