Literary and Philosophical luieUigc^ice* 
[Nov. 
Tliere seems to be little change in tlie train for three weeks back, so that the Co- 
tnn, whicli was previous!v t'hrown forth, appears to have continued attached to the 
c-.i’net. 
I believed no comet liitherto observ«?d, has been seen for forty days, (from Septeni- 
ber 6,) with a splendor so equal and unimpaired. This seems ascnbable to its very 
c*-e:siclerahle perihelion distance; in consequence of which, there is little change in 
ehe light and the electric excitement vA-hich it receives from the sun, and not more 
th at may be coutpensated, us to conspicuous appearancej to us by its approach to our 
jiluiiet. 
I have to add, that on the T6rh tlie length and the splendor of its train, gemmed 
‘with stars, tlie lustre and apparent magnitude of the nucleus, the ample expansion, 
and li e beauty of its whole appearance, seemed to ha\'e exceeded any former view 
til'it; two stars bordered the sides of the train, at about 3*-! fiom ifie nucleus. 
On the.l?'th, continued mist and fog made it doubtful whether it were visible. 
On the ISth, about eight in the evening, it was very conspicuous; with a dense 
and luminous train of nearly 8 degrees. About an liour after the evanescent part 
«f the tram was discernible, and extended to a very considerable length beyond the 
strongly luminous part of it. It slione through passing clouds like the moon; the 
nucleus had its calm and constant brightness, and seemed still encreasing in appa¬ 
rent diameter. Tlie comet was now above and near the Cmioim Borealis, in its way 
to pass under Lyra. Its northern declination decreases slowly within the last eight 
i>r nine days: and from its tirst appearance it has passed through above 90^ of right 
ascension, its advance apparently encreasing ot) account of the (.brection of its orbit, 
and dimiuiahed distance from the earth. 
Perhaps no comet ever was so favourably situated with respect to our planet, for 
along continuance of striking and undiminisheci lustre. 
On the 19th, at seven, a small star was seen very near the hpad and nucleus of the 
«oinet, westward and above it; altitude of the comet then 40*^ nearly. It could not 
iie diseei ned by my nigiit-glass: the angle of distance being so small, and the light 
not vivid. At 7' p. seven, it was perpendicularly over the comet, and about 6' of a 
degree distant from it, as seen lu hjATTitEW Loft's Jlcjl.cc(or. Tlie nucleus appeared 
Very large, aiulmucli involved in the Coma. Tlie following brancli of the train ha*, 
appeared for some nights narrow, and turned very obliquely towards us. 
1 am vour’s siucerelv, 
Capel Lofft. 
L)a. Robert John' TiioRXTON has 
obtained an Act of Parliament for a 
Koyal Botanical Lottery, the first prize 
of which is to consist of the Linnaian 
Gallery, being a collection of allegorical 
and descriptive paintings, by Opie, 
Russell, Howard, lleiuagle, Henderson, 
and others of great celebrity; together 
with a full length portrait of Linnsus, in 
Lis Lapland Dress, a cuiious and valu¬ 
able painting. The second class of 
prizes is composed of tlie Temple of 
Liora, five folio volumes, containing 
several hundred coloured plates, en¬ 
graved by Bartolozzi, Earlom, Landseer, 
and -Other distinguished artists. The 
total value of all the prizes in this Bo¬ 
tanical Lottery is F7,000l. 
Travels in Iceland, during the Sum¬ 
mer of the Year 1810, by Sir Georoe 
Mackenzie, Mr. Holland, and Mr. 
Bright, are iu the press. A prelimi- 
jiaiy Dissertation on the History and Li¬ 
terature of Iceland, will precede the 
journal of the travellers. In the journal 
will be described the country, the hot.. 
1 
springs, volcanoes, and other natural 
curiosities, and also the manners and 
customs of the inhabitants ; and it will 
be folloAvcd by distinct cliapters, on ru¬ 
ral, political, and ecclesiastical, affairs; 
on the present state of literature; on 
natural history, botany, and mineralogy. 
Accounts have been received from 
Mr, C. R. Cockerell, at Athens, of a 
recent discovery in the island of rEgina, 
highly iiueresting to the arts. In exca¬ 
vating tlie earth to ascertain the Hyper- 
chral in the ancient temple of Jupiter 
Panhelienius,-in the pursuit of his in¬ 
quiries, a great number of fragments of 
Parian marble, (;f the most beautiful 
sculpture, have been raised, the parts 
ofwhicii nearly complete sixteen statues, 
betw'een five and six feet in height, many 
of them in poAverful action, and described 
as not inferior to the celebrated sculp¬ 
tures of the Elgin collection. It is re¬ 
markable, that, of the trav'ellers of all 
nations who have visited that celebrated 
temple for more than a tfiousancl years 
past, no one before Mr. Cockerell should 
have 
