5 6 Mr. Wollaston’s Obfervations 
feverally paffed the centre wire and other adjoining wires ; 
making occafionally a diagram, or drawing of their appearance 
in that telefcope, in the manner reprefen ted in a Paper commu- 
nicated to this Society in the year 17S4*. This I found of 
great fervice ; both in afcertaining the ftars of comparifon, and 
in catching fomething of an obfervation on thofe evenings, 
which were not clear enough, or fteady enough, for me to take 
the tranfits (as Auguft 14. and 19. and Sept. 21.). In this way 
alone, one may be certain of the relative pofitions to five minutes 
of a degree in right-afcenfion or declination, under the moft 
unfavourable circumftances, and commonly much nearer ; and 
this occafionally has its ufe. 
This comet was firft difcovered Auguft 1, 1786, at Slough, 
near Windfor, by Mifs Caroline Herschel, Sifter to Dr. 
William Herschel, and aftiftant to him, and almoft as 
zealous an aftronomer as himfelf ; who, in his abfence, fwept 
the heavens with her telefcope for that purpofe. She obferved 
it again Auguft 2. and then communicated the news of it to 
her friends. Her account (as I recollect it, for I had not the 
original) was, that Auguft 1. it was about equi-diftant from £ 
and v Urfae Majoris, and N° 14, 15, and 16. Comas Be- 
renices, about i° fouth of the parallel of N° 15. Comas. 
The news reached me on the 4th, which was cloudy ; but 
on the 5 th I faw the comet; and, having adjufted the wires, 
compared its paflage with the adjoining ftars ; of which the fol- 
lowing are the refults. The times noted down are all fidereal ; 
becaufe they were fo obferved, and the redu&ion of them is 
moft fimple. The ftars of comparifon are moftly thofe of the 
Britifh Catalogue : and to that the numbers refer; excepting a 
few, which I take to be ftars to be found in the Catalogue 
* See vol. LXXIV. p. 18 1. 
4 
compkt 
