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portunities of obiervation, from the goodnefs of the 
weather, and other circumftances, which cannot 
have happened to the generality of obfervers in 
many parts of the world, wc thought we (liould be 
the eafier excufed by men of fcience, for the in- 
fertion of twenty fuperfluous things, than the negle«fl: 
of any thing material in the account of a pha*no- 
menon, which will never be obferved again by any 
of the prefent generation of men. 
I am, 
Gentlemen, 
with great refped. 
Your moft obedient, 
humble fervant, 
Philadelphia, July 19, 
1769. 
William Smitli. 
N. B. Fig. 5, plate XV, reprefents the appear- 
ance of Venus on the Sun to the Reverend Mr. 
Hitchins, at the Royal Obfervatory. See Phllof. 
Tranf. vol. LVIII. for 1768, p. 363. 
XLIL Obfer^^ 
