180 
Seen from the Comet at perihelion the diameter of the Sun would 
subtend an angle of 55/23”; from aphelion, 7”. So that, in the latter 
position, our luminary would only appear as an intensely brilliant point. 
The velocity at perihelion is 127,000 miles per hour; at aphelion, 
only 267 miles per hour. : 
The Comet was in the plane of the ecliptic coming northward a little 
before noon on March 26th, its distance from the Sun being 298,000,000 
miles,—consequently more than 200,000,000 miles beyond the orbit of 
the Earth. It was in the plane of the ecliptic going southward about 
midnight on the 18th October, when its distance from the Sun was 
67,000,000 miles, 28,000,000 miles within the orbit of the Earth. We 
are then in no danger from this member of our system. 
Its nearest approach to Venus was on October 18th, at 3 in the 
morning, when the distance of the two bodies was 8,360,000 miles. Its 
-nearest approach to the Earth was on October 11th, at midnight, when 
the distance from us was 51,000,000 miles. So that at Venus the Comet 
must have appeared 37 times brighter than it did to us. 
The Comet was in the plane of the orbit of Venus on October 20th, 
at half-past 9 p.m. Its distance from the Sun—69,621,000 miles. Rad. 
Vect. of orbit of Venus—69,105,000 miles. Difference—516,000 miles. 
Longitude of descending node for orbit of Venus—3438° 37’ 14”. Venus 
was in that longitude October 185". Had the Comet then been seven 
days earlier, it would have approached within half a million miles of 
Venus, would have been about 100 times nearer than it was to us at its 
nearest approach, and its disk and splendour would have been 10,000 
times greater. 
I fear you will hardly consider these details worth the reading. 
My reason for giving them is that in case you think it worth while to 
bring the elements before the Academy, the remarks may help to take 
away the meagre appearance of a few lines of figures which have cost 
me some hours, indeed days, of laborious calculation. — 
Yours, my dear Sir William, very truly, ; 
A. GRAHAM. 
Sir William R. Hamilton. 
The thanks of the Academy were given to the Right Hon. the Earl 
of Fingal for having granted Mr. Wilde permission to exhibit the Plunket 
M.S., called ‘The Sight of the Blind,” and make the extracts from it 
to be published in the Proceedings. 
The Academy then adjourned. 
