The Great Comet of 1861. 255 
M. T. Washington. No. of comp. a 6 
1861, July 2, 9h 55™ 1983 10 8h 43m 68-97 +65° 12/147 
3 51 41°15 66 9 
5 . 
oo 
5 
2. 8:6) “296 12 10 58 36°26 66 54 206 
eS 8 UU S26 4 12 $1 ‘12°57 64 51 76 
On the night of the 3d, it was observed on the meridian with 
the transit instrument by Prof. Robinson, U.S. N. and with the 
mural circle by Prof. Hubbard. 
M. T. Washington. 3 8 
July 3 15h Qim 465-7 10h 11m 78,25 66° 33! 31/"5 
From the observations of the 2d, 4th and 6th, the following 
elements of its orbit were computed by Prof. Hubbard. 
Perihelion passage 1861. June 11.43955. Washington mean time, 
Longitude of the perihelion, 249° 11’ 28/4 Mean eqx. 
Longitude of ascending node, 278 58 32:1 1861-0 
Inclination of the orbit, 85 37 35 °5 
Perihelion distance, 0°821531 
: Motion direct. 
These elements give for the middle observation 
Al = —15!"7 (c—0) 
4b=—10°'6 
3. The Comet, as seen at the Observatory of Harvard College, Cam- 
bridge, Mass, Communicated by G. P. Bown, Director. 
THE comet was first seen at the ees ort A of Harvard Col- 
lege in the early twilight on the evening of Tues 
The sky was clouded on the first and on the thirtieth. On Sat- 
urday the twenty-ninth of June the air was hazy preventing a 
* We hay i from Lt. Gilliss a paper on the physical characters of this 
sieshaa, which will appear th Noventiex Prot. Hubbard’s latest computations how- 
Pp ls 
ever are given on p. 265 
