— 550 — 



Quoi qu'ii en soit de ces suppositions, nous n'avons qu'à nous 

 louer de nos rapports avec la cour de Siam. Le roi vint visiter 

 notre observatoire. Ne possédant que des lunettes communes, il 

 fut vivement impressionné par la vue de nos puissants instru- 

 ments, surtout par le télescope de lio centimètres et par la trans- 

 mission électrique de la seconde. 



Nous étions alors complètement prêts pour l'éclipsé. Les per- 

 sonnes qui devaient prendre part à l'observation étaient : 

 MM. Stephan, 

 Tisserand, 

 Rayet , 

 Chabirand, 

 Hatt, 

 Olry, 



Letourneur (qui, sur ma^emande, avait bien voulu ac- 

 cepter la présidence honoraire de notre commission ) , 

 Pierre , 

 Garnault, pharmacien de i'^ classe de l'hôpital militaire 



de Saigon ; 

 Les officiers de la Sarthe et du Frelon. 



comparaison with those newly invented and improved must be considered as 

 very common. The knowledge ofSiamese and Peguan astronomers are thiis : 



The total eciipse of the sun may lake place for the foUowing important points 

 of astronomical occurrence. 



1° The node, either ascending or descending, comes near to the sun's apogy, 

 either before or behind, at a distance at least of 60 degrees on the ecliptic 

 course. 



2° The moon's peregy comes near to the place of syzygy, or strait belween ihe 

 centres of the sun and moon and the earth, or near to the said nodal position. 



3° The sun comes as near to the said nodal position as 720 miles, or 12 de- 

 grees in ecliptic. 



They said also that whenever the interior planets, Mercury or Venus, and 

 moon, corne below the sun directly to any latitude or place on the surface of the 

 earth, the extractive power of those said bodies attracts the surface of the earth 

 and produces greater wind and clouds more than usual on that point for several 

 days. It is évident that the like or simiiar occurrence can be comparated with 

 attraction of the sun and the moon , and produce high water on the surface of 

 the earth in the days of new moon and fuU moon always , and lowest water ap- 

 pears in first and last quarter of the lunar month, for the sun and the moon 

 are in a very différent position toward the earth. 



But the wider knowledge was not lo me more than is before said indea. 



S. P. P. M. MONG KuT, K. S. 



