predicted by Thales. 231 
being annular') was not central in any part of Asia Minor. 
The other eclipse in this year, which took place February 2d, 
happened when it was near midnight in Asia Minor. 
The eclipse mentioned by Petavius took place July 9th, 
597 B. C. The ecliptic conjunction happened at 4 h 29' 25" in 
the morning, mean time at Greenwich, or 4 h 29' 58" apparent 
time : and the elements were as follow : 
True longitude of the luminaries 3 s 9® 16' 32" 
Sun's declination, north - - 23 28 18 
— — semi-diameter - - 15 49 
Moon's semi-diameter - 14 50 
equatorial parallax - 54 23 
* horary motion from the sun 27 32 
true latitude - - 4 1 59 
■ horary motion in latitude — 2 44 
By a trigonometrical calculation, I find that the sun rose 
centrally eclipsed to the inhabitants of Holland in N. lat. 51° 
45' and E. long. 5 0 39'. The moon's umbra then proceeded 
across Denmark, Finland, and the northern provinces of 
Russia : and the sun became centrally eclipsed on the meri- 
dian in N. lat. 74 i° anc ^ E. long. 113° 35k This eclipse, there- 
fore, could not possibly be the one mentioned by Herodotus. 
And yet his translator, M. Larcher, without taking the slightest 
pains to verify the fact, or even to ascertain its probability, 
has adopted it as the most likely one, “ parcequ'elle s’accorde 
mieux avec la chronologic que toutes les autres an opinion 
as unfounded, as the circumstance to which it relates ; and an 
assumption which puts the visionary speculations of the anti- 
quarian in. competition with the immutable laws of nature. It 
