82 Mr. Herschel’s account of a series of observations 
less than eight out of the twelve nights* observations were 
totally lost, as to any result they might have afforded, and 
the remainder materially crippled ; so that a much more 
moderate estimate of the value of our final result must be 
formed, than would otherwise have been justified. Still it is 
satisfactory to be able to add, (such is the excellence of the 
method) that a result on which considerable reliance can be 
placed, may be derived from the assemblage of the observa- 
tions of these four nights ; and when it is stated that this 
result appears not very likely to be a tenth of a second in 
error, and extremely unlikely to prove erroneous to twice 
that amount, it will perhaps be allowed that, under such cir- 
cumstances, more could hardly be expected. 
