404 S. Newcomb—Mean Motion of the Moon. 
observations were translated, was frequently very difficult to 
decipher or to translate, owing not only to the fading of the 
writing, but to the uncertainty of some of the terms which the 
author used. Besides these three discordant observations, there 
were two which could not be used because the altitude assigned 
to the moon at the time of the observation actually exceeded 
its meridian altitude. Here it was evident that there was some- 
thing wrong, in recording, transcribing or translating the obser- 
vation. The general result was that each observation of a 
Epoch, 846 de —4'4 
926 et oe it 
986 d&= —4°8 
telescope by so short an interval that it can hardly be supposed 
that they would throw much light on the question under con- 
. sidera 
carefully to find whether Tycho Brahe had ever observed an 
V. Observations of occultations and eclipses made with a 
‘telescope but without a clock, the time being determined by 
the altitude of the sun or of some star observed with a quad- 
have the great advantage that the only error to be feared is that 
of the determination of time, always supposing that the phenom- 
