[ 110 ] 
the half of every fourth part being left to be eftimated 
by the eye. 
, Mr* Holden and two other gentlemen, who are 
efteemed good obfervers, and were provided with 
refraCting telelcopes and Hadley s quadrants, were 
with me on Sunday morning, and I defired a third 
gentleman to note down the times, and to be careful 
not to miftake the minutes of time; as one might be 
more apt perhaps to miftake the minutes than the 
feconds. The clouds threatened us difappointment 
till about ten minutes before the calculated time of 
the beginning of the eclipfe, and then the Sun fhone 
out very clear ; and during the time of obfervation 
we were but feldom interrupted by thin flying clouds.. 
The firft and loft contacts of the IVToon and Sun were 
fo /harp and inftantaneous, that it feemed poflible to 
determine them within one fecond of time. Several al- 
titudes of the Sun were taken during the eclipfe, by re- 
flecting the Sun’s image from a bafon of treacle; and 
the quantities eclipfed were plainly vifible on the fore- 
mentioned image of the Sun on the paper, even to the 
eighth part of a digit. But the altitudes want yet to 
be corrected by their refpeCtive refractions. 
Several people came into the room to fee the eclipfe, 
fome of whom were fubfcribers to my leCtures ; and 
I could not well refufe them admittance. But I told 
them before-hand that they muff neither fpeak nor 
move till the eclipfe was found to be begun. This 
they ftriCtly complied with, and gave no manner of 
difturbance ; and, after it was begun, I defired them 
all feparately to come and view it by the telefcope, 
■which hindered me from obferving the number of 
digits eclipfed for the firft hour. 
I kept 
