[ 99 ] 
have correfponded hill nearer, bur that I was ambitious 
to confine the whole Series of Obfervations within 
the narrow Limit above-mentioned ; which I have at 
laft compared, not without a long and tedious Cal- 
culation : But, long and tedious as it was, I fhall not 
repent of the Trouble I have been at, if I find my 
Endeavours agreeable to my aftronomical Reader. 
It may, perhaps, be expected (confidering the great 
Part of its Orbit the Comet defcribed during its Ap- 
pearance), that I fhould have fettled its Period, and 
foretold its Return. — This, I confefs, would have 
given me great Pleafure ; neither would I have fpared 
any Pains in the Inquiry, had I met with any Pro- 
fped of Succefs j but the Period, upon my attempt- 
igg it at firft, came out fo prodigioufly long (the 
tranfverfe Ax of the Ellipfe being nearly equal to 
Infinity), that I was flopp'd fhort in my Inquiry $ 
neither could I prevail upon myfelf to refume 
the Subjed again, when, upon turning over Heve- 
Hus , I found the Account of Comets, which had 
appeared at long Intervals of Time from us (as it 
might reafonably be expeded) fo fhort and uncer- 
tain : But, could I procure Celjius s Obfervations, or 
any made after the Perihelion, I might be induced 
to fall to Work again ; and would not fail commu- 
nicating the Refuit, did I meet with Succefs ; and, 
at the fame time, the Elements of the Comet, which 
appeared in 1742, which I have had by me fome 
time $ not fo perfed as I could wifh, but as perfed 
as may be obtained from the few Obfervations I 
met with. 
The Comet was in Conjundion with the Sun, 
Feb . 15. about Midnight 5 and its Perigee, Feb. i 6 b 
about 
