272 
LONDON. 
Accordingly, fince the 25th of March laft, when it was 
firft perceived by M. Flauguergues, at Viviers, in the 
fouth of France, its courfe has been regularly traced; nor 
fliall we lofe fight of it till the month of January, 1812. 
Its train, which occupies a fpace of 12 degrees, exhibits 
feveral curious phenomena. It is not immediately con- 
nefted with the comet, as if it were an emanation from 
it; but forms, at a distance from the nucleus, a wide belt, 
the lower part of which girds, without coming in contact 
with, it, much in the fame manner as the ring of Saturn ; 
and this belt extends itfelf in two long luminous fafces, 
one of which is ufually redtilinear, while the other, at 
about the third of its length, (hoots forth its rays with a 
flight curve like the branch of a palm-tree; neverthelefs 
this configuration is fubjeft to change. It has been ob- 
ferved, that the fpace between the body of the comet and 
its train is occafionally filled ; and of the two fafces, that 
which is generally rectilinear fometimes arches its rays, 
while thole of the other afiTume the form of right lines. 
Finally, rays, or as it were plumes, of ignited matter, 
have been feen to iflue from the lower extremities of the 
fafces, or flakes, and again unite. 
“ As to the nucleus, or the comet itfelf, it has been 
found impoflible, even with the aid of the belt telefcopes, 
to make obfervations on its difk, as on that of a folid body 
and of determinate circumference. We can only difcern 
a vague circular mafs, more luminous than the train, par¬ 
ticularly towards the centre ; but the verge of which is 
doubtful, furniihing to the eye no fixed outline of demar¬ 
cation. This mafs is without doubt compofed of a very 
fubtile fubftance, as is probably that of all comets. This 
hypothefis receives much fupport from the fact, that one 
of thefe (tars, of very confiderable magnitude, (the firft 
comet in 1770,) paffed and re-pafl'ed through the very 
middle of the fatellites of Jupiter without occafioning 
amongft them the flighted diforder. There is every rea- 
fon to believe, that the nucleus of the prefent comet is 
nothing more than a conglomeration of vapours of very 
little denfity, fo little perhaps as to be tranfparent. Whe¬ 
ther this be the cafe or not, might be eafily afcertained, 
if thofe who are in the habit of obferving it would watch 
the moment of its tranfit athwart the difk of fome ftar, 
the rays of which would have fufficient power to perfo¬ 
rate it, if tranfparent. Such a body might very poflibly 
be an incipient world, juft paffed its gafeous ftate, and 
which was to derive folidity from the precipitation and 
condenfation of the matter furrounding it. The fuccef- 
five obl'ervation of fome comets, in which it may be pof- 
flble to diftinguifti the different ftages of chaos and pro- 
grefiive formation, can alone furnilh any, knowledge with 
refpeft to this point.” 
The following obfervations were made by a gentleman 
at Epping, and dated Oft. 16.—“The comet was in its 
afcending node on the nth of July, at a diftance of 
338,117,270 miles from the fun ; its motion retrograde, its 
orbit palling clofe (within 39 minutes) to the north pole 
of the heavens. It was neareft the fun on the 12th of 
September, and to the earth on the nth of Oftober, when 
its diftance from the latter body was 113,630,4.50 miles. 
On the sad it will be equi-diftant from the earth and fun ; 
and, in about three days after, its diftance from the earth 
will begin to increafe very rapidly, and therefore we nruft 
expeft its brilliancy, its apparent fize, and length of tail, 
to diminiilr in a finrilar ratio. 
Oftober n, it was 113,630,450 Miles from the Earth, 
12, - - 113,948,225 --——- 
22, - - 116,205,900------ 
25, - - 118,306,540 -- 
Nov. 1, - - 126,616,000-• 
19, - - 214,730,400 -- 
Had this comet made its appearance about five months 
earlier, the pofition of the earth would have been fucli as 
to have rendered their minimum diftance from each other 
much lefs than at prefent; and, inffead of a tail of 12 
degrees, it would have appeared to extend over more than 
30 degrees of the heavens; its neareft diftance from the 
earth would have been no more than 44,405,850 miles, 
and its apparent diameter would have been increafed 
nearly in the inverfe ratio of its diftance. This comet is 
certainly much larger than the moon, but it is difficult to 
meafure its diameter, owing to the denfe atmofphere that 
furrounds it; yet, from its diftance, and theapparent fize 
of its nucleus, it mull be a body of confiderable magni¬ 
tude : its tail is not lefs than 49,401,900 miles in length.” 
According to Mr. Starck, an aftronomer at Augfburgh, 
the comet was, Oftober 16, at the diftance of 3Z millions 
of geographical miles (15 to a degree) from the earth: 
this is the neareft approach of thefe two celeftial bodies. 
The tail of the comet was 800,000 miles in length, and 
the diameter of the nucleus about 860 miles.—Fora com¬ 
plete view of the theories relative to comets, and their 
tails, fee the article Astronomy, vol. ii. p. 400-406. 
On the nth of September, it was difeovered, that the 
feveral preffes in Buckingham-houfe, which contained her 
majefty’s court and other moft valuable drefles, had been 
opened, and the contents, amounting in value to 2000I. 
ftolen. Her majefty’s wardrobe had been kept in St. 
James’s palace previoufly to the late fire, in Jan. 1809, 
at which time it was removed to Buckingham-houfe. It 
was ufual for the female domeftic who had the care of the 
contents of the preffes to infpeft them once a-year; but, 
from the king’s illnefs, thefe “ youthful hofe well-fav’d” 
had not been wanted, and, confequently, they were not 
opened until that day, when it was found the drefles were 
gone ; but the papers which contained them were left, 
and a baize which covers the whole was carefully placed 
over the papers, See. No injury had been done to the 
locks on the feveral preffes ; and no one could have com¬ 
mitted the robbery without being well acquainted with 
the premifes. According to the ftatement of Mr. Hanfon, 
lockfmith to the royal family, the locks could have been 
opened only by a duplicate or a fkeleton key ; and a du¬ 
plicate key could not have been made without taking off 
the lock. In either cafe, none but a (kilful locki'man 
could have opened the locks, as they were of the beft 
kind. So much had been purloined, that, according to 
the ftatement of fir William Parfons, half a dozen men 
could not have carried away the (tolen property at once. 
In the month of Oftober, a very intereifing difeovery 
was made in Cornwall. A regular vein of filver was 
found juft on the Cornifh fide of the river Tamar. Al¬ 
though fmall quantities of this precious metal have fre¬ 
quently been got in crofs-veins in the mines of Corn¬ 
wall, yet no regular filver lode had ever before been met 
with. This vein was found, and traced from the furface; 
and is now regularly worked as a filver-mine. The ore 
yields 60 per cent, of metal. 
The public tranquillity had been little difturbed, not- 
withftanding the preffure of the times, during the greateft 
part of the year; but, before its termination, a leries of 
diforders broke out, which foon put on a flerious afpeft, 
and were the prelude of a riotous and mifehievous difpo- 
fftion in a large traft of the manufafturing diftrifts. Their 
commencement was in the neighbourhood of Nottingham, 
the hollers of which town having been obliged, from the 
decreafe of demand for their manufaftures, to difeharge 
many of their workmen, much diftrefls necefiarily enfued 
for want of employment. This was enhanced by the new 
application of a certain wide frame in the weaving of 
dockings; whereby a confiderable laving of manual labour 
was produced, and a confequent further diminution of 
hands. On the 10th of November, a number of weavers, 
afiembling near Nottingham, began forcibly to enter houfes 
in which were frames of this kind, and deftroy them. On 
the nth they appeared before the houfe of a manufac¬ 
turer at Bullwell, which was barricadoed by the owner, 
who had alfo armed his men in its defence. On attempt¬ 
ing to break in, the mob was fired at, and one perfon 
killed. This roui'ed them to fury; and in increafed num¬ 
bers they renewed their attack, made an entry, (the family 
having 
