552 
ACTION OF THE SUN AND MOON. 
tol we refer each tide to the transit of 
the moon, which took place about forty- 
four hours previously, we do obtain an 
accordance of the observations with the- 
ory in the feature above described, that 
although the moon’s force alters by the 
alteration of her declination, the defect 
of the luntidai interval fora three hours’ 
transit of the moon is equal to the excess 
of that interval for a nine hoars’ transit. 
And thus, in this respect at least, the 
tide at Bristol agrees exactly with the 
tide which would be produced, if forty- 
four hours before the tide, the waters of 
the ocean assumed the form of the sphe- 
roid of equilibrium due to the forces of 
the moon and sun, and if this t^e were 
transmitted unaltered to Bristol in those 
forty-four hours. 
