1799-] 
\ in May and June, 1798, never obferved it 
to link lower. Fleuriau de Bellevue finds, 
from a comparifon of obfervations during 
four years made by himfelf, and of other 
obfervations on the Atlantic, that for that 
ecean the medium height is 28” 2/', 83; 
which differs very little from that given us 
by Shuckburgh. ‘This would add 211 feet 
to the height of places, whofe elevations 
above the level of the fea have been calcu- 
lated according to a medium height of 
28” at the fea; and of elevations being fo 
calculated there are certainly numerous 
inftances. 
New Comet—Dr. BuRCKHARDT writes 
to M.-von ZacH, Paris the roth and 16th 
of Auguft: «* On the 6th of Auguft Me- 
CHAIN difcovered a new comet. On the 
Sth at.14.%.33/ 40” medium time at Paris, 
its direct afcenfion was 109° 15’ 48”, 
northern declination 43° 54/26”. With- 
out Le Frangais’s important Catalogue of 
Stars, it would have been impoffible to re- 
duce Mechain’s obfervation. From only 
the difference of direct afcenfion and decli- 
nation of four ftars, I found the ftar with 
which the comet had been compared. Its 
medium place for 1790 was, direét afcen- 
fion = 108° o’ 35”, north declination 43° 
39' 29%. Its apparent place for the day of 
the obferyation 108° 10’ 15”, and 43° 
38’ 35” north. ; 
_ Meffer has jut delivered to me laf 
night’s obfervation of the comet. He 
compared it with 3 ftars ; and that was 
fufficient to enable us to find them in Le 
Frangais’s Catalogue. I have not time at 
prefent to reduce his obfervation to the 
greateft exactnefs ; but the following re- 
fults are right to a minute :—on the oth of 
Auguft at 14h. 58’ true time, direét af- 
cenfion of the comet 110° 1’; declination 
north 44° 29’. Confequently the 24 hours” 
motion of the comet in direct afcenfion 
+45', and in the declination +34'. 
On the 14th of Auguft, Mefier obferved 
the new comet at 12h. 12’ 31” medium 
time ; and found its direé& afcenfion to be 
114° 14° 2073; northern declination 47, 
28 21”. From. the obfervatfons on the 
6th, roth, and r4th of Auguft, I have 
deduced the following elements: time 
of its paffage through the perihelion on 
the sith of September at roh. 10’ me- 
dium Parifiantime. Longit. of the node, 
35 3° 57’ 49”; inclination of the orbit 
58° 19’ a2”. Longit. of the perihelion 
3° 3/8”; diftance of the perihelion 0,9255, 
; 
logarithm of the fame 9,996377; logarithm 
ef the diurnal motion 0,010563; direction’ 
of its motion, retrograde. 
Of the comets formerly obfermed, that 
Literary and Phidsfophical Intelligence. 
895 
which appeafed in 1684 moves in nearly 
the fame plane as the prefent. The diftance 
of the perihelion of both comets is likewife 
the fame; which is the more remarkable 
as there are only a few comets which have 
fo great a diftance, This induced me 
to examine whether in Hal/ey’s Elements 
there might not be anerror of the prefs, or 
in the calculation. I’wo obfervations of 
Bianchini have given me the fame longit. of 
the node which Halley found, by which I 
, determined the radius vector from Halley's 
Elements. 
In England, Mr. Lorrt, at Trofton, 
near Bury, obferved the Comet on the 4th 
of Oétober,’ from half paft ten till the 
time of its fetting. Its nucleus was very 
difcernible,and the extent of its comarather 
increafed. He judged that its node would 
be in 17 or 18 degrees of Sagitary,and that 
it might continue vifible for a fortnight. 
The following are the ob/erwations of 
the late tranfit of Mercury, by the different 
aftronomers at Paris,—Lalande {aw the 
interior contaét at the entrance, at 21n 23 
43" true time; Le Frangais, 21" 23 217 
De Lambre,20% 23! 53"; Méchain 20h 23° 
14°; Bouvard, 20" 23/14’. The interior 
contact at the exit, Le Francais 4% 417 45°3 
Burckhardt, 4> 41’ 51"; Meffier 4" 43! 10°3 
De Lambre, 4n 41‘ 48"; Mechain, 4 41" 
52”; Bouvard, 4° 41° 42! true time. 
At the Imperial obfervatory of Peterf- 
burg the tranfit was obferved by M. de 
Roumovfls : fir external contaét at the . 
entrance 23> 12’ 12,6 true time ; interior 
contaét, 235 14/ 26,2: at the exit, inte- 
rior contact, 6° 33’ 34,43 exterior con- 
tact, 6h 35’ 53,3. The entrance was 
obferved with a telefcope of 24 inches, 
by Short; and the exit with an achro- 
matic telefcope with three object-glaffes = 
the magnifying power of both inftruments 
was the fame. With the telefcope which 
Mr. R. ufed in obferving the entrance, a 
naval officer obferved. the interior contac 
at the exit 6h 33° 40”; the exterior core 
tact, 6n 36’ 6” true time. 
At Manheim, the Abbé Barry: interior 
contaét at the exit, 55 2' 28” medium 
time. 
Ai the Imperial obfervatory at Prague : 
interior contact at the entrance, 225 4 47'' 
medium time,—obferved by Can. Davids 
interior contact, 22, 7°49°;—by M. Da- 
vid: 22n 7’ §5°—by M. von Schdnan 5 
2.2, 8’ 10'——by M. Sirzad. 
At Leipzig Profeflor Rudiger: interior 
contact at the entrance, 225 1’ 40",7 me- 
dium time ; exit, interior contact, sn 14 
57'',6, rather uncertain on account of the 
intervention of the clouds.--On the pre- 
5Y2 ecding 
