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the Nature of the Sun. 
cannot justly compare this price with that of the preceding 8 
years, as some of the former years of scarcity would come into 
that period ; but the 8 years immediately following, that is, from 
1685 to 1691, both included, give an average price of no more 
than £ 1. 175. 1 \d. The difference, which is as full 5 to 4, is 
well deserving our notice. 
A third but very short period, is from the year 1686 to 1688, 
in which time Cassini could find no spot in the sun. If both 
years be included, we have the average price of wheat, for those 
three years, £ 1. 15s. o~d. the quarter. We ought not to com- 
pare this price with that of the three preceding years, as two of 
them belong to the preceding period of scarcity ; but the three 
following years give the average price for the quarter of wheat 
£1. 12 s. io^d. or, as nearly 11 to 10. 
The fourth period on record, is from the year 1695 to 1700, 
in which time no spot could be found in the sun. This makes 
a period of 5 years; for, in 1700 the spots were seen again. The 
average priceof wheat, in these years, was £ 3 . 3s. 3 jd. the quarter. 
The 5 preceding years, from 1690 to 1694, give £2. gs. 4 ±d. 
and the 5 following years, from 1 700 to 1 704, give £ 1 . 1 ys. 1 1 ±d. 
These differences are both very considerable ; the last is not less 
than 5 to 3. 
The fifth period extends from 1710 to 1713; but here there 
was one spot seen in 1710, none in 1711 and 1712, and again 
one spot only in 1713. The account of the average priceof 
wheat, for these four years, is £2. 17 s. 4 d r the quarter. The pre- 
ceding four years, from 1706 to 1709, give the price £2. gs. 7 \d. 
and the following years, from 1714 to 1717, it was £2. 6s. gd. 
When the astronomical account of the sun for this period, which 
has been stated above, is considered, these two differences will 
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