1307.) 
tor with a power of one hundred, and a small 
field of view, But it appeared best in an 
- aclrromatic of Dollond’s, with a field of view 
very considerable and-in an excellent night- 
giass of the late Mr. Dunn’s, the astronomica- 
lecturer. I find no Comet that resembles it, 
- but that of 1647, which however cannot be it 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
“If this has its direction northward. In coming - 
to its node, after it passes its perihelion, if it 
1s NOw approaching it, as I at present believe, 
it will pass I think considerably near to our 
earth, as it first became visible nearly on the 
opposite side of the earth’s orbic. 
Ina letter'to Mr. Phillips, dated the 
49th, he observes : 
‘© The Comet now visible is so much the 
finest of any observable in England for 
thirty-eight years back, that I think some ac- 
count of it cannot be unacceptable. It was 
first seen, as I understand, on the 30th of 
September, near y Libres. It seems then 
just to have passed its guiding node. The 
Rey. T. Rerough, of Thornger, near Bury, 
saw it on the day following. On Thursday 
the ist of October, and on Saturday the 3 
it was seen by Mr. Charles D. Leech, of 
Bury; on Sunday by several. We did not 
see it here till our attention had been called 
to it by a letter from Mr. John Mills, of 
Bury, and another from an astronomical cor- 
respondent then in. Londen. Consequently 
We saw it as soon as the clouds broke on the 
‘Puesday evening, at 65- 25’ solar - time. 
The nucleus was very brilliant and well 
defined, of a pale gold colour, very little in- 
ferior in lustre to Arcturus, and exceeding him 
inapparent magnitude to the eye. With avery 
goud three and a half foot telescope of Dol- 
lond ‘Sy with a power of about 50, and a field 
of view of 2°, the nucleus had a ver ry 
sensible apparent magnitude, I think not Jess 
than 40% it not 1’. With an excellent night- 
“glass of Dunn’ s, the field of which ‘is “42, 
the train at eight in the evening, when anc 
of the twilight, considerably more than filled 
‘the field. As it comes to us frem the oppo- 
site side of our orbit, nearly to that in which 
‘our earth is at present, if it were then a di- 
ameter of the orbit distant from us, the train 
under an angle of 6°, would be full ten mil- 
lions of milesin length; and its breadth, which 
I have rather enlarged, was about one-eighth 
of its length, or about 45’. If its head had 
40° diameter, at that distance it would be 
full four times the diameter of our earth. 
Last night, and the night before last, its 
coma appeared very dilute about 1°2 in 
dength; something must be allowed for” the 
great light of the moon ; and also (which is 
moe) its diminution of angular distance from 
the sun, by which its train is seen less ob- 
Jiguely. Its nucleus.remains. brilliant, and 
bordering on a gold colour. The train on 
Tuesday the 6th was bright gold colour near 
the Comet, fading off in a silvery brightness, 
and terminating in the thinnest white fume, 
I do not draw; andif I did, the finest mezzo- 
tinto would be far from ue justice to the 
‘ MonsTHLY Mae., No, 163, 
“379 
lucid distinctness and delicate beauty of its 
appearance. It was perfectly conspicuous 
even to the naked eye on the 6th, and very 
beautiful even with a power of one hundred, 
as seen by Matthew Lofft’s reflector, which 
has a field of about thirty-two minutes. 
Inanother Jetter, dated the 20th, he says: 
Last nightit-was- very beautiful, and the nu- 
cleus exceedingly brilliant, with a very sen- 
sible and well defined magnitude, . I observed 
an occultation ef a telescopic star, by the 
head of the Comet,. which was near » Her- 
culis, it appeared bright at about 30” distance 
from the preceding limb of the Comet, and 
disappeared at once without apparent con- 
tact, a little short of that distance, as a fixed 
star does when it suffers an occultation by 2f 
or *k I. This is “a very curious ’ pheno 
“menon, and proves’the density of the head of 
‘the Comet. 
It wasiguite otherwise with the 
Comet of 1797, which had no discernible 
nucleus. J could not make the apparent 
- diameter of its nucleus lastnight,-less than 
Train 20 or. 25’ broad, and 1% 30’ fully in 
length. It bore the diminutionof light from 
approaching the horizon better than, y Her- 
culis. The apparent path of the Comet has 
described since the ist of October, 169 dee 
clination, 14° 4° right ascension. This re- 
sults from a mean between two observations, 
taken one by mé, and the other by Mr, 
Charles D. Leech, of Bury, and which differ 
only 20’ in right ascension, and 1° in®de~ 
clination. Right ascensionat eight last night, 
242 5° north declination 19°. Comet 1° 
nearly below y Herculis. 
On the 25th, Mr. Lofft communicated 
some further observations: 
‘Tiere was no opportunity of observing the 
Comet here on ‘Vhursday or Friday night. 
A very fine one Saturday night. .Tolerable 
this night. Yesterday evening it appeared in 
forty-eight hours to have advanced more than 
10 deg. in declin. and about 3 in right as- 
cension. Nucleus very brilliant, and train 
exceedingly so. Fully 4° in length, about 
1° broad, fanning out and incurvated > up- 
wards, with. a shorter branch extending cn 
the upper side.. A fine meteor’ was visible 
in the fie! of the telescope on Saturda}, 
with the Comet for a:second or two. This 
night it appears nearly stationary in N. decli- 
nation, and retrogade in right ascension, 
It seems by these and all circumstances, to 
be turning round in its orbit, and to be pass- 
ing its perihelion. —P aE Sunday night, 
25th of Octcber, W. of 2 oe and 
above it about 1°. 
Rough Sketch of the Comet, as seen at Treston, 
October 6, 1807. 
~S 
== 
3D 
