De la Rue, Stewart, and Loewy on Solar Physics. 393 



slowly to be caused by the former. Venus, therefore, appears to 

 be the influencing agent ; and whether the behaviour of spots ap- 

 pears to depend on the position of this planet with reference to the 

 earth, or point of view, the following Table, in which the spot- 

 behaviour is compared with the corresponding position of Venus, will 

 show : — 



Position of "Venus. 



A good deal to left. 



Conjunction. 



To right. 



Near opposition. 



Near conjunction. 



.mo. o 



Behaviour. 



series 





1. 



Increase to centre. 



2. 



Break out. 



3. 



Decrease. 



5. 



Increase. 



6. 



Break out. 



7. Increase. 



8. Break out. 



9. Uncertain behaviour. 



1 1 . Increase to centre. 



12. Increase past centre. 



13. Break out. 

 15. Decrease. 



17. Increase to centre. 



18. Increase past centre. 

 20. Break out. 



22. Stationary behaviour. 



24. Increase to centre. 



25. Break out. 



*26. Uncertain behaviour. 



27. Increase to centre. 



28. Increase past centre. 



29. Break out. 



3 L Decrease shortly after 1 

 appearance. J 



32. Increase to centre. 



Opposition. 



Near conjunction. 



To right. 



Near opposition. 



Near opposition (to the left). 



Near conjunction. 



To right. 



Near opposition. 



Near opposition (to the left). 



Near conjunction. 



To right. 



Near opposition. 



Near conjunction. 



To right. 



Near opposition. 



Near opposition (to the left) . 



Near conjunction. 



To the right. 



Near opposition. 



It will be seen from this Table that the behaviour of spots appears 

 to be connected with the position of Venus in such a manner that 

 spots dissolve when that part of the sun's surface in which they 

 exist approaches the neighbourhood of this planet ; while, on the 

 other hand, as the sun's disk recedes from this planet, spots begin to 

 break out and reach their maximum on the opposite side. 



There are a few cases in which Venus and Jupiter are opposed 

 to one another; the authors do not, however, suppose that these 

 instances are sufficient to prove the fact of an action due to Jupiter, 

 but think it right, in alluding to them, to state at the same time the 

 opposed position of the two planets, since this may furnish a pos- 

 sible explanation of the uncertain behaviour of spots by which these 

 series are characterized. 



The results of this paper may be stated briefly as follows : — 



* Venus and Jupiter are here opposed to one another, 



Phil. Mag. S. 4. Vol. 29. No. 197. May 1865. 



2 D 



