140 L. Boss— Observations on the Comet 1881 6. 
Art. XXVIL—Observations on the Comet 1881 6; by Lewis 
Boss. 
_ News of the sudden appearance of a great comet in the 
northern sky first reached me through the local newspapers on 
June 23; but that night was cloudy. On the evening of June 
24, the comet was occasionally seen for a few moments at a 
time, through intervals in clouds, but never with sufficient 
clearness to admit of satisfactory examinations as to its physical 
appearance. One micrometric comparison between the comet 
and DM 50° 1225 was secured with the thirteen-inch refractor. 
The comet was plainly visible to unassisted vision in a clear 
sky at sixteen hours mean time, and then appeared as bright 
as Capella. 
Owing to an accident which happened to the equatorial dur- 
ing my absence, I have thus far been unable to secure addi- 
tional micrometric comparison by that instrument. At lower 
culmination the comet has usually been hidden by clouds, and 
the hour is now very inconvenient; so that I can report only 
the following observations of apparent position : 
June 28 1). 30,..26::' 6 00 
July 8 12 42 38 1 51 4954+ 79 34 03:0 Transit circle. 
From the first three positions reduced to 1881-0 and corrected 
for parallax and aberration by means of values o rom 
preliminary orbit, I derived the following parabolic elements. 
T = 1881, June 161358. Washington M. T. 
m 265° 01” 38” 
Q 270 58 45 {rss 
i 63 30 24 
log g 9°86510 
Middle place, C—O. di cos 8, +4”. 48,—7”. We also hav 
with the same elements: July 8, C—O. 4A cos f, +230. 
48, —75”. The elements therefore are not likely to be found 
The similarity of the elements of this comet with those de- 
duced by various computers for the comet of 1807, has already 
been much discussed in the newspapers. The difference of 
to (087) seems larger than can well be ascribed to errors of 
computation, or possible planetary disturbance. 
* Star of comparison DM 50° 1225, position obtained from Argelander’s north- 
ern zones combined with Bonn VI. Aa on three wires; Ad, one measure. 
