214 HALLEY*S COMET. 



On Saturday, April 16th, I began my search, a search 

 that did not immediately prove successful as the following 

 selected extracts from a diary will show : — 



April 17 (Sunday). — Out at 4.15 a m. and walked to the Calais Lane 

 with small telescope. Sky much clearer than yesterday, but 

 horizon lined by a aVep bank of cloud. The sky was practically 

 shut out to a height of from 20° to 25° in the critical part, and 

 the comet was not seen. 



April 19 (Tuesday). — Looked out of the window at 2.30 and 4 a.m., 

 but sky was seen to be again densely overcast so did not get 

 up. 



It was on April 19th, by the way, that Mr. Collenette 

 delivered an instructive lecture on Halley's Comet in the 

 Guille-Alles Lecture Hall to an overflowing and highly 

 interested audience. The next day (Wednesday, April 20th) 

 the comet was in perihelion — that is at its nearest approach to 

 the sun. 



April 21 (Thursday). — Awake at 4 a.m. and was surprised to find 

 the weather all cleared up and Venus a fine object in the 

 E.S.E. Dressed quickly and went to the Calais Lane. The 

 dawn however was growing rapidly and the stars had faded; 

 it was too late to hope to see Halley's. 



April 23 (Saturday). — Got up just before 3 a.m., but finding on 

 looking out of the windows the sky to be quite overcast went 

 back to bed. 



April 24 (Sunday). — Was again awake at 3 a.m. and looked out of 

 the windows, but only to see an overcast and starless sky. A 

 high wind was also abroad. Without thinking twice about it 

 went back to bed at once. 



April 27 (Wednesday). — Got up at 3 a.m. and found the weather 

 conditions apparently very favourable. Calm was prevail- 

 ing and there was a slight white frost. The sky was clear 

 except for a bank of cloud some 10° deep lining the eastern 

 horizon and some haze above this. At 3.45 the birds burst 

 into song (the cuckoo included) and Yenus shot up from the 

 mist, but I did not pick up Halley's. Gave up the search at 

 4.30 and returned home sadly disappointed. 



I learned afterwards that Mr. N. P. Stedman, of 

 Hauteville, caught the comet on this morning with binoculars 

 and had it under observation from 3.30 to 4.10 o'clock. 



April 30th (Saturday). — Another fruitless quest in spite of, to all 

 appearances, perfect seeing conditions when I left Les 

 Blanches for the Calais Lane at 2.30 a.m.— bright starlight and 

 a clear waning moon. However, if I was unsuccessful, Mr. 

 Rammell was highly successful at Les Cotils, for he found 

 the object at 3.18 and followed it with the help of binoculars 

 until 3.55. Mr. Rammell says it was not visible to the naked 

 eye. Mr. Stedman also saw it at 4 o'clock. 



At last, three days later, on Tuesday, May 3rd, success 

 came my way. By agreement I met Mr. Rammell at the 

 top of Greorge Road at 3 a.m. Lovely starlight prevailed, the 

 weather was almost perfect for astronomical observations — 



