[ 3+7 ] 
viewed them to my Satisfaction, and (hewed them 
to fome Friends, when I was about to put up the 
lnfrrument, a Cloud, of near the Size of the firft, 
but not fo deep a Colour, appeared, riling up from 
the S. W. which proceeded in a Line with the 
Planets, and, in a little time, furrounded both : 
Venus appearing full, to the naked Eye, in her full 
Luftrc, 1 immediately viewed her with the Telefcope, 
without altering the Focus , and faw her much more 
didin&ly than ever I had done, on that Evening, or 
on any other, and of the fame Opinion were all my 
Friends as to the Sight they had of her, on that Oc- 
cafion : We all faw her Spots plain, refembling thofe 
in the Moon 5 which I was never fo happy as to have 
a Sight of before— and this, while the Cloud feemed 
to furround ir, as much as ever : But whether the 
Vapour might be really rarer near the Planet, than 
it was at fome Didance, no Judgment could be made, 
becaufe of her too powerful Light. 
Many have obferved the fixed Stars to appear thro* 
the Vapour with an undiminifhed Light oftentimes : 
And our great Dr. Halley tells us, in his Account of 
that remarkable Aurora , which was feen in March , 
1715-- 1 6. that he obferved “ one of the Laming 
“ pafs fucceffively over all the Stars of the litte Bear, 
“ without effacing the fmaller ones, in the Tail, of 
the fifth Magnitude ; fuch was the extreme Rarity 
“ and Perfpicuity of the Matter whereof it confided.” 
Phil. Tranf. N° 34 7. 
I had the Honour this Week to receive a Letter 
from Dr. Short of Sheffield, the Author of an Account 
of feveral Meteors, in the Phil. Tranf. N* 4,59. in 
which he favs, “ The 23d pad, at Six at Night, the 
Sky 
