C 203 3 
To John Bevis, Dofior of Phyfc. 
$ I Lefkeard, June 9, 1761* 
1 Should, with great pleafure, have purfued, in every 
particular, the method you recommended to me, 
in obferving the late tranfit of Venus, but, unfor- 
tunately, had it not in my power to do fo. The low 
fituation of my houfe, and a fmall hill at a diftance to 
the N. E. of it, would not allow me, even from my 
garret windows, a view of the fun, till it was 1 1° or 
12 0 above the horizon. By this means, I was de- 
prived of an opportunity of making two of the prin-» 
cipal obfervations. It was almoft half an hour after 
five, when I could firft get a fight of the fun. I was 
in hopes, from what you had wrote me, that the 
planet had not at that time paffed its neareft diftance 
from the centre ; but had loon the vexation to find 
myfelf difappointed. I, however, continued to ob- 
ferve the diftance of Venus from the limb of the fun, 
with as much accuracy as I could, an account of 
which you have on the next leaf. I think there can- 
not be an error of more than two or three feconds in 
the time of the interior contaft, and not one of the 
total egrefs. 
It was but two days before I received the favour of 
your letter, that I came down ftairs for the firft time, 
after a fix weeks fevere fit of the gout. During my 
illnefs, my clock was run down, and ftopt. . 1 im- 
mediately fet it going again, as nearly to the time as 
I could then guefs. The next day, being the firft of 
this month, at night I obferved the tranfit ot a flat 
over the horizontal hair in the telefcope of my 
Dd 2 quadrant* 
