( Ilf ) 
quarter of an Hour I had one paft ro' $ more Sou- 
therly than the Planet, which in lefs than i' of Time 
was fucceeded by another, which was but one Minute 
more Northerly than the former; when after an in- 
terval of about 14 Minutes of time, in which I was 
furprifed to find the Sky fo void of Stars, the four 
ce,ore mentioned Stars paft fucceftively over my Glair 
with the fame interval of time in which 1 had feen 
them follow one another, on the 28th of February • 
whereupon 1 was defirous to try, whether, if the place 
of Mercury in my Tables were affumed, the lame 
Right Aftenfions and Declinations of thofe Stars would 
be deduced from him, as from Venus ; and ro my great 
Satisfaction, I found on trial by an exatft Calculus, that 
l had the fame Right Afcenfions now as before in 
none of the four differing fully half a Minute, fo d,at 
theie Stars may fecurely be added to the Catalogue 
and the appulfe of Mars to them be obferved in very 
long Telefcopes, in October next, to a further afeertain- 
mg the immen'e diftance between the Sun and Earth. 
Hence it will alfo appear that our Mercurial Numbers 
are, at lead at this time, and in this part of his Orb 
not lefs exa<ft than thofe of Verms. And whereas this 
Planet fcarce ever appears with us out of the Sun’s 
Beams and always low, and therefore under great 
Refraction ; this way of obferving takes off all the un- 
certainty, that accrues therefrom ; and when once the 
Zochack mall bt compleated with the Stars that are 
wanting to fill up the vacant places, it will be eafy at 
any time, by this method, to obfetve Mercury or a 
t cma within the Sun’s Beams, with the fame certainty 
as if it were remote, and out of the neighbourhood 
of the Horizon, where the different Vapours that lie 
near the Earth, render the appearances of the Stars 
^ fome- 
