[ 3i6 ] 
“ Having quitted my telefcope to note down the 
« time, the gentlemen who counted for us, as well 
“ as leveral others now come into the obfervatory, 
“ were anxious to fee Venus on the Sun through'the 
“ redcdtor, as it was ealily manageable ; an indul- 
“ ^ence not to be denied ; and therefore I did not fit 
** down to it again till about four or five minutes 
“ before the internal conta(51, and then not with 
much attention till the contadl was at hand j fo 
that I faw none of thofe appearances, on the part 
** of Venus off the Sun, mentioned by my affociates. 
“ But their account may be depended on ; for Mr. 
“ Rittenhoufe’s abilities have been fpoken of before; 
and few perfons have a better judgment, a correfter 
eye, or have been more accuftomed to view ob- 
jeds, both celeftial and terrefirial, through te- 
“ lefcopes, than Mr. Lukens. 
“ As to the fmall differences in the times of our 
“ contads, it is prefumed, they may be eafily re- 
“ concilcd, partly from the different powers of the 
“ telefcopes, and partly from the other circumftances 
“ mentioned in the manner of judging of them. 
“ At any rate, we have fet them down faithfully. 
“ As to the firfi: diflurbance made on the Sun’s 
limb, it may he worth confidering, whether it was 
“ really from the interpofition of the limb of Venus, 
“ or of her atmofphere ? The former, one could not 
eafily imagine it to be, unlefs her limb and body 
“ were much more uneven than they appeared to 
“ be when feen on the Sun. An atmofphere it 
might more probably feem to be, not only from 
“ the faintnefs of the colour, but the undulatory 
morion. 
