C 232 3 
tiling dogmatical, preferving at this time the fame 
diffidence^in expreffion as I niade ufe of when I ob- 
ferved the tranfit of Venus in India, where I was ap- 
prehenfive, that to be able to difeern an atmofphere 
about a planet at fo great a dijlance as Venus may be re- 
garded as chimerical: yet I may venture to fay, that 
rny obfervation of the tranfit of the prefent year feems 
to corroborate my affertion, in the account of the tran- 
lit obferved in India, in 1761 ; however, I fliall not 
here peremptorily affign the caul'e, leavings fuch re- 
marks to be made by others. 
' On my return from India, I was glad to find I was 
not particular in remarking the ftrange phasnomenon 
of the oblongation of the orb of Venus at the time of 
both the internal contadls. It was with fenfible plea- 
fure I have feen, in the Philofophical Tranfaftions, 
that four aftronomers at Upfal, in Sweden, as well as 
J Mr. Dunn, in England, took notice of the fame or 
f milar circumflances. The appearance of this pro- 
tuberance or ligament muft now be univerfally con- 
firmed, efpecially by all obfervers of the tranfit of the 
prefent year, at leaft by all fuch who have viewed 
it through telefcopes of fufHcient magnifying powers, 
and who have fenfe enough to believe their own eyes, 
or candour enough to embrace and acknowledge con- 
vidion, malgre all prejudice and preconceived opi- 
nion. 
Fig. I. reprefents the firfl prefage I had of the 
approach of Venus to the Sun’s external dife. Fig. 
2. is the appearance of the black notch, when I noted 
* Philof. Tranf. vol.LTT. part i. 1761, p. 396. 
+ Ibid. p. 227. and vol. LVI, 1766, p. 72, 
