[ 3+3 ] 
Remarks by the Astronomer Royal. 
Hawkhill is faid by Dr. Lind to be about 1 1 miles 
N.E. of Edinburgh. It is the feat of Lord Ale> 
moor^ one of their judges, who is fond of aftronomy, 
and has built a fmall obfervatory there with a move- 
able roof, upon Mr. Smeaton’s plan, which I fent to 
Dr. Lind. The correfponding altitudes, for deter- 
mining the time of the obfervations of the tranfit of 
Venus, were taken, by rededion, from a bafon of 
quickfilver or treacle, with a brafs Hadley’s fextant, 
made by Mr. Ramlden j the furface of the fluid be- 
ing defended from the wind by a glafs ground truly 
plane. They find that the equal altitudes feldom 
differ above two or three feconds in determining the 
time of noon ; fo that, by taking a great many at once, 
and taking the mean, they think they cannot fail of 
coming very near the truth. I have examined the 
equal altitudes made about the time of the tranfit 
and the times of the contad are given correded in 
the foregoing account. The clock in the obferva- 
tory feems to go pretty well, though it only beats 
dead quarter feconds •, it has a mahogany pendulum, 
and was made by Mr. Cummins. In the houfe was 
a clock beating feconds, and let, by means of the 
other, in the afternoon, before the beginning of the 
tranfit. The latitude of 'the place was alfo deter- 
mined by meridian altitudes, taken by reflcdion witk 
the fextant, and, by the mean of lo ob/ei vations 
which all agree within the compafs of 2 minutes, is 
55 ° 57' Zl" end of the bolar eclipfe was 
obicived; 
