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XVII. Communication of a curious appearance lately observed upon 
the Moon. By the Rev. Fearon Fallows. In a Letter ad- 
dressed to John Barrow, Esq. F. R. S. 
Read February 28, 1822. 
Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, 
Dear Sir, December 13, 1S21 . 
X take the earliest opportunity of communicating to you a 
curious appearance which I lately observed upon the moon. 
My present means of making observations of this kind are 
indeed very limited, as the large telescopes, destined for the 
Cape Observatory, have not yet arrived. Still, however, it is 
right to have phenomena of this kind recorded, though the 
description may, from the want of proper instruments, be 
imperfect 
About eight o'clock in the evening of the 28th of Novem- 
ber last, the sky being extremely clear, and the moon shin- 
ing with a brilliancy which I never observed in England, my 
attention was drawn to a whitish spot on the dark part of the 
moon’s limb, sufficiently luminous to be seen with the naked 
eye. Lest I might be mistaken, I requested Mr. Fayror, 
the assistant astronomer, to look at the moon attentively, and 
inform me whether he could observe any bright appearance 
upon the dark part of it. We both agreed in the identity of 
the spot, and remarked that now and then it seemed to flash 
with considerable lustre. Mr. Fayror having in his posses- 
sion a good achromatic telescope, which Mr. Troughton had 
