IV 
viated much from the mean; but I was of opinion that the true latitude was 
not the sole object of importance, but that it was also desirable to investigate 
the errors arising from flexibility, or causes not sufficiently known, to which 
repeating instruments are subject in the southern hemisphere in comparison with 
those that have been observed in the northern, which could only be effected 
by a thorough detail of the observations. The longitude of Paramatta is 
sufficiently known for geographical purposes ; and having always objects of 
more immediate importance in hand, I was unwilling to devote much time 
to occupations of fixed stars, there being but little chance of corresponding 
ones being made in other places. But the occupations of the principal stars 
and planets have been attended to, as well as eclipses and observations of 
moon-culminating stars. 
I have next introduced the solstices observed with the repeating and mural 
circles at Paramatta. The vicinity of the sun to the zenith at the southern 
solstice rendered the usual methods of reduction insufficient, and a more cor- 
rect one became necessary, which has already been partly published in the 
Memoirs of the Astronomical Society. In the observations of the solstices, I 
had it also in view to ascertain whether the latitude derived from observations 
with the repeating circle with the known obliquity from the northern and 
southern solstice, would exhibit similar anomalies to those observed in Europe. 
The latitude of Paramatta by the northern solstice is about 4" less than 
what the southern gives, and the mean obliquity of the ecliptic as ascertained 
there by the repeating circle is 1 ".7 less than that found by the mural circle, 
which latter corresponds as nearly as possible with the solar tables. 
The use of observations of the inferior conjunction of Venus and the oppo- 
sition of Mars in that part of the world, as well as the culminations of the moon 
for determining their respective parallaxes, is obvious. 
Observations in the southern hemisphere of those errant bodies that cross 
our system in all directions from the arctic to the antarctic pole, are during 
this latter part of their orbit the more interesting, as they complete the series 
of observations made of them by European astronomers, to whom they are 
then invisible, or whose notice they may have entirely escaped. It was there- 
fore south of the equator that I chiefly searched for comets. Much time was 
thus unsuccessfully spent, which I hope will not be perceived in the regular 
