3 6 Mr. Pond on the changes which have taken place in the 
be computed for any distant period ; as for example, the pre- 
sent year 1822. Suppose such a catalogue computed, which 
I have named a predicted catalogue ; then, if this be com- 
pared with the observed catalogue for the same year, the fol- 
lowing differences will be found to subsist between them. 
The general tendency of all the stars will be to appear 
to the south of their predicted places, and this tendency seems 
to be greater in southern than in northern stars ; if any star 
be found north of its predicted place, it will always be a 
star north of the zenith, and the quantity of its motion ex- 
tremely small. There may be observed a much greater 
tendency to southern motion in some parts of the heavens 
than in opposite, or distant parts as to right ascension, and in 
much the greater portion of the heavens the southern motion 
seems to prevail. A southern star, as Sirius, situated in that 
part of the heavens most favourable for southern motion, 
will be found more to the south of its predicted place than 
Antares, situated in the part least favourable for southern 
motion, though it is itself more southward. 
Several stars have moved more from their predicted places 
than other neighbouring stars ; when this happens, the mo- 
tion is always southward ; I have yet met with no exception 
to this rule ; not a single star can be found having an extra 
tendency to northern motion ; and indeed the northern mo- 
tion in any star is so very small, that it would never have 
excited attention. 
A very great deviation will be found in three very bright 
stars, Capella, Procyon, and Sirius : the proper motion of 
each of these is southward ; it therefore follows that these 
proper motions are accelerated. The proper motion of Arc- 
