or inferior planets; its light, pale, and watery, and tail, like a flaming lance or sword seven degrees in length, and of considerable breadth. The annexed is a drawing of its appearance at this period, according to the Celestial Atlas before referred to.

This Atlas has the following observations on the appearance of this " splendid enigma :" "The Duke of Lorrain died. A great war between the Swedes and Danes. These are the effects that followed this comet." In the year 1682, the wanderer again visited this hemisphere, appearing with considerable brightness, not dark and livid as at its former return. It was on this occasion observed by Dr. Halley, who pointed out its identity with the comets of 1305, 1456, 1531, and 1607; he also predicted its return in 1758, or the commencement of 1759. Previous to this return, a French astronomer, Clairault, investigated the attractive influence of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, on the comet, and announced, that it would pass its perihelion on the 13th April 1759. The comet did actually appear as predicted by Halley, (whose honoured remains were then reposing in the village churchyard of Lee, near Blackheath), and reached its perihelion a month earlier than Clairault had foretold; on revising his calculations, he lessened the error to 19 days, and the slight discrepancy that remained, may fairly be attributable to the uncertainty of the mass of Saturn being accurately determined, and the existence of the planet Uranus, not then being known.

There is an interesting circumstance attending its rediscovery in this last return,-it was first perceived by an individual in a humble rank of life. On the 25th of December, 1758, the Halley Comet was detected with

only the naked eye at Prohlis, near Dresden, by a Saxon peasant of the name of Palitzch, at a time when all the great astronomers of Europe were seeking for it in vain with their telescopes. Nor did Palitzch owe his discovery merely to his superior powers of vision,-this Saxon peasant was really an astronomer, and for him was reserved the honour of being the first of all the astronomers of Europe, in the discovery of the return of this anxiously expected comet. Palitzch, who was born in 1723, continued to cultivate astronomy as well as his garden, for many years after this event, and died in his native village in the year 1788.

The next individual, who saw the comet at this return, was Messier, a French astronomer; he discovered it on January 21st, 1759, and observed it till February 14th; again, from March 31st, until April 16th; and also from May 1st, until June 3d: but although Pingré, La Lande, Lemonnier, La Caille, and all the astronomers of Paris, were anxiously looking for it, as likely to afford to the Newtonian theory of gravitation a more beautiful confirmation, than any it had hitherto received, Delisle did not permit Messier to give notice of its appearance, until the 1st of April, when he could no longer retain the secret. It was afterwards observed throughout May, by all the other astronomers.

As the time of the next return of this comet is rapidly approaching, so is the interest connected with it, increasing. The French Institute has twice or thrice proposed a prize, for the best theory of its perturbations. Astronomers, in this country, and on the Continent, have re-investigated its elements; among the latter, are M. M. Damoiseau, Burckart, and Pontecoulant, (to the

latter of whom the prize has been awarded), who have introduced into their computations a very refined and beautiful analysis of the perturbations arising from the action of the earth, and the three larger planets. The following may, therefore, now be assigned as the elements of the comet of 1835 :

Ratio of eccentricity to semi-axis major

Place of perihelion on the orbit
Longitude of the ascending node.

4.32, Nov. 1835. 17.98525

.588017 0.9673055

304° 27′ 24′′

55 9 7

17 41 5 Retrograde.

According to Mr. Lubbock, member of the Royal Astronomical Society of London, this comet will pass its perihelion in 1835, October 31st, 4 hrs. 17 min. mean time from midnight at Paris.

Mr. Lubbock states, that this comet is one of those which approach near to the orbit of the earth. When in one of its nodes, it may be at a distance from the earth, equal to a twentieth of the distance of the sun; but its mass is so small, that were it to come very much nearer, it would afford no just cause of alarm.”

COMET OF 1770.

The effect of planetary perturbation on the comet of Halley was trifling, when compared with that which was detected in the comet of 1770, generally known by the denomination of the "lost comet," for, according to some astronomers, it is actually annihilated, or carried off from the system; its matter dissipated, atoms scattered, and in the form of aeroliths or meteors, hurled to

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