Simeon Aubert, at Autreville, in France, aged 106.

Matthew Fuitlen, a burgher of Namur, aged 108.

At Gros-Zieteen, one Daniel Ammyer, belonging to the French colony aged 113 years, and four months. He was born at Blois in 1648, and had served in the troops of France, Sweden, and the Emperor. He enjoyed an uninterrupted state of health, till within a fortnight of his death, when his conftitution broke all at once. Elizabeth Merchant, of Hamilton's-Baun, in Ireland, aged 133. In the course of this year, 1761, were christened at Newcastle, 623; buried, 408.. Increased in the christenings 35; decreased in the burials, 114.

In the city and fuburbs of Dublin, Males buried 1144. Females buried 1148. Males baptized goo. Females 1049. Increased in burials this year 234. In births 299.

The burials in Norway, in the diftrict of Chriftiana, amounted to 6929; and the chriftenings to 11,024. Twenty-three women were delivered of twins, five brought three children at a time. Among those who died, 394 lived to the age of 90, 63 to the age of 100, and 7 to the age of 101. In the diocefe of Bergen, the perfons who died amounted only to 2580, of whom 18 lived to the age of 100; one woman to the age of 104, and another woman to the age of 108. At Copenhagen, 2749 children were born, 2593 perfons died.

At Vienna, 5672 children were born, and 6310 perfons died; 479 more were born than in the year before, and ten lefs have died.

Four thousand, four hundred and eighty children were baptized, and 7720 perfons died, at Amfterdam.

Two hundred and thirty-fix proteftant children were baptized at Ratifbon, and 285 died.

They write from Rome that by the lift taken of the inhabitants of that city, there were 157,458 fouls, 90,239 males, and 67,219 females, of whom were 42 bishops, 2742 priefts, 4381 perfons of religious fraternities and nuns, 1725 monks, 878 ftudents, 1053 poor in the hofpitals, 37 hereticks, Turks, and infidels, the Jews excepted. During last year, 4989 children were born there, and 7149 died. A general bill of all the chriftenings and burials in London, from Dec. 9. 1760, to Dec. 15, 1761. Christened Males 8183 Females 7817

16000

Buried Males 10668 Females 10395

21063

Increafed in the burials this year 1233.

Died under 2 years of age

60 and

7699

Between 2 and 5 15 and to

1573

660

"10 and 20

626

50 and 60

1662

70

1518

WE

FRE we to infert all the pieces that have come to our hands concerning this curious phanomenon, we should be obliged to leave out many things which cannot, we imagine, but prove much more agreeable to the generality of our readers. We must therefore content ourfelves with giving an account of the obfervation of the tranfit in the year 1639, made by our countryman Mr. Horrox, and the first obfervation that ever was made of that phænomenon; and a table of the obfervations of the late tranfit, June 6th, 1761, made by feveral aftronomers in England, to whom we heartily with fuccefs in reconciling the dilagreements between them, and drawing from their labours fuch conclufions as may prove of fervice to aftronomy and navigation.

An account of Mr. Horrox's obfervation of the tranfit of Venus over the Sun, in the year 1639.

7HEN Kepler first conftructHENK

WHE

ed his (the Rudolphine) tables upon the obfervations of Tycho, he foon became fenfible that the planets Mercury and Venus would fometimes pafs over the fun's difk; and he predicted two tranfits of Venus, one for the year 1631. and the other for 1761, in a tract published at Leipfic, in 1629, en titled Admonitio ad Aftronomos, &c. Kepler died fome days before the tranfit in 1631, which he predicted, was to have happened. Gaffendi fought for it at Paris, but in vain, (See Merc. in Sole vifus & Venus invifa). In effect, the imperfect ftate of the Rudolphine tables was the caufe that the tranfit was ex

be obferved; and thofe very tables in 1639, when one was really ob did not give reafon to expect one

ferved. „do# 200

When our illuftrious countryman Mr. Horrox, first applied himself to practical aftronomy, he com puted Ephemerides for feveral years, from Lanfbergius's tables. After continuing his labours for fome

time, he was enabled to discover the imperfection of thefe tables. upon which he laid afide his work, intending to determine the pofition of the ftars from his own obferval tions. But that the former part of his time spent in calculating from Lanfbergius might not be entirely thrown away, he made ufe of his Ephemerides, to point out to him the fituations of the planets. From hence he forefaw when their con junctions, their appulfes to the fixed stars, and the most remarkable

phænomena in the heavens would happen; and prepared himself with the greater care to obferve them......

Hence the wash encouraged to wait for the important obfervation of the tranfit of Venus, in 1639; and no longer thought the former part of his time mif-fpent, fince his attention to Lanfbergius's tables had enabled him to discover that the tranfit would certainly happen on the 24th of November. However, as thefe tables had so often deceived: him, he was unwilling to rely up... on them entirely, but confulted o ther tables, and particularly thofe of Kepler. Accordingly, in a terz ter to his friend, Wm. Crabtree, of Manchester, dated Hool, Oct.26, 1639, he communicates his difcovery to him, and earnestly defires. him to make whatever obfervation he poffibly can with his telescope,

par

particularly to measure the diameter of the planet Venus; which, according to Kepler, would amount to 7 m. according to Laníbergius to 11 m. but which, according to his own proportion, he expected would hardly exceed one minute. He adds, that the conjunction, ac cording to Kepler, will be Nov. 24: 1639, at 8 h. 1 m. A, M. at Man chefter, the planet's latitude being 14 m. 10 f fouth; but, according to his own correction, he expected it to happen at 5 h. 57 m. P. M. at Manchester, with 10 m. lat. fouth. But because a fmall alteration in Kepler's numbers would greatly alter the time of the conjunction, and the quantity of the planet's latitude, he advises to watch the whole day, and even on the preceding afternoon, and the morning of the 25th, though he was entire ly of opinion that the tranfit would happen on the 24th.

After having fully weighed and examined: the feveral methods of obferving this uncommon phæno menon, he determined to tranfmit the Sun's image thro' a telescope into a dark chamber, rather than thro' a naked aperture, a method greatly commended by Kepler; for the fun's image is not given fufficiently large and diftinct by the latter, unlefs at a very great distance from the aperture, which the narrowness of his fituation would not allow; nor would Venus's diameter be visible, unless the aperture were very fmall; whereas, his telescope, which rendered the folar fpots diftinctly visible, would shew him Venus's diameter well defined, and enable him to divide the Sun's limb more accurately.

He defcribed a circle upon paper, which nearly equalled fix inches, the narrownefs of the place VOL. IV.

not allowing a larger fize; but even this fize admitted divifions fufa ficiently accurate. He divided the circumference into 360 degrees, and the diamteer into 30 equal parts; each of which were fubdivided into 4, and the whole therefore into 120. The fub-divifion might have been carried ftill farther, but he trusted rather to the accuracy and nicenefs of his eye.

When the time of obfervation drew near, he adjufted his apparatus, and caused the Sun's distinct image exactly to fill the circle on the paper; and tho' he could not expect the planet to enter upon the Sun's difk before three o'clock on the afternoon of the 24th, from his own corrected numbers, upon which he chiefly relied; yet, because the cal culations in general from other tables gave the time of the conjunc-ˆ tion much fooner, and fome even on the 23d, he obferved the Sun on that day, but more particularly on the 24th; for on the 24th he obferved the Sun from the time of its rifing to 9th o'clock; and again, a little before ten: at noon; and at one afternoon, being called in the intervals to bufinefs of the highest moment, which he could not with decency neglect. But in all these times he faw nothing on the Sun's face except one fmall and common spot, which he had feen on the preceding day, and which also he afterwards faw on fome of the following days.

But at 3 h. 15 m. in the afternoon, which was the firft appor tunity he had of repeating his obfervation, the clouds were ens tirely difperfed, and invited him to feize this favourable occasion, which feemed to be providentially thrown in his way; for then he beheld the

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moft agreeable fight, a fpot, which had been the object of his moft fanguine wishes, of an unusual fize, and of a perfectly circular fhape, juft wholly entered upon the Sun's disk on the left fide, fo that the limbs of the Sun and Venus exactly coincided in the very point of contact. He was immediately fenfible that this round fpot was the planet Venus, and applied himself with the utmoft care to profecute his obfervations.

And firft, with regard to the inclination, he found, by means of a diameter of the circle fet perpendicular to the horizon, the plane of the circle being fomewhat reclined on account of the Sun's altitude, that Venus's had wholly entered upon the Sun's disk at 3h. 15 m. at about 62 d. 30 m. (certainly between 60 d. and 65 d.) from the vertex towards the right hand. (Thefe were the appearances with in the dark chamber.) And this inclination continued conftant, at least to all fenfe, to the end of the obfervation.

Secondly, the following diftances of the Sun's and Venus's centers were as follows:

At 13 15 by the clock 14 |23|dift. 3 35 13 30 3 45 12 13 50 The apparent time of fun-fet- The true time of funfet was at 3 h. 45 m. Refraction keeping the Sun above the horizon for the space of five minutes. Thirdly, he found Venus's diameter, by repeated obfervations, to exceed a 30th part of the Sun's dimeter, by a 6th, or at most a 5th fub-divifion. The diameter there. fore of the Sun to that of Venus

may be expreffed as 30 to 1.12. It certainly did not amount to 1.30, nor yet to 1. 20. And this was found by obferving Venus, as well when near the Sun's limb, as when farther removed from it.

The place where this obfervation was made was an obfcure village, about 15 miles diftant from Liverpool towards the north called Hool. The latitude of Liverpool had been often determined by Horrox, to be 53 d. 20m. therefore that of Hool. will be 53 d. 35 m. The longitude of both feemed to him to be about 22 d. 30 m. from the Fortunate Iflands; that is, 14 d. 15 m. to the weft of Uraniburg.

Thefe were all the obfervations which the fhortness of the time allowed him to make, upon this moft remarkable and uncommon fight; all, however, that could be done in fo fmall a fpace of time he very happily executed; and fcarce any thing farther remained for him to defire. In regard to the inclination alone, he could not obtain the utmoft exactness; for it was extremely difficult, from the Sun's rapid motion, to obferve it to any certainty within the degree: and he ingenuously confeffles that he neither did, nor could poffibly perform it. The reft are very much to be depended upon, and as exact as he could wish.

Mr. Crabtree, whom Horrox had, by letter, invited to this Uranian banquet, and who, in mathematical knowledge, was inferior to few, very readily complied with his friend's request, and intended to obferve the tranfit in the fame manner with Horrox; but the fky was very unfavourable to him, and was fo covered with clouds, almost during the whole day, that he gave

himself up entirely to defpair. But, a little before the time of fun-fet, about 3h. 35 m. by the clock, the Sun breaking out for the first time from the clouds, he eagerly betook himself to his obfervation, and happily faw the most agreeable of all fights, Venus juft entered upon the Sun. He was fo ravished with this moft pleafing contemplation, that he ftood for fome time viewing it leifurely, as it were; and, from an excefs of joy, could fcarce prevail upon himself to truft his own fenfes. Upon which occafion Mr. Horrox obferves, that mathematicians have a certain womanis difpofition, diftractedly delighted with light and trifling circumftances, which hardly make the leaft impreffion upon the rest of mankind. Which levity of difpofition, let thofe deride that will; and with impunity too. But let not any fevere Cato be seriously angry with thefe ' vanities of ours: for what youth, fuch as we are, would not fondly admire upon earth Venerem Soli, pulchitudinem divitiis conjun&tam? What youth would not dwell with rapture upon the fair and beautiful face of a lady, whose charms derive an additional grace from her fortune?'

But, to return, the clouds deprived Mr. Crabtree of the fight of the Sun, almost as soon as he was roufed from his reverie; fo that he was able to obferve little more than that Venus was abfolute

ly in the Sun. He could not accurately obferve either the distance of Venus's center from that of the Sun, or the inclination, from the fhortnefs of the time: but as far as he could guess by his eye, he sketched out Venus's fituation upon paper, which Mr. Horrox found to agree very nearly, even to co-incide with his own obfervations; nor did he err, adds his friend, more than Apelles himself would have done in the like hurry.He obferved Venus's diameter to contain z of that of the Sun; that is, 1 m. 3 f. according to Horrox's method of reckoning.*

Thefe obfervations were made near Manchester; the latitude of which place as determined by Crabtree is 53 d. 24m. and its longitude is three minutes in time to the east of Liverpool.

Mr. Horrox acquainted his younger brother with this difcovery of Venus's tranfit, and defired him, who was then at Liverpool, to obferve it, if poffible; which he attempted, but to very little purpose, for on the 24th the sky was entirely overcast.

Mr. Horrox, in his treatife on this subject, published by Hevelius, and from whence almoft the whole of this account has been collected; hopes for pardon from the aftronomical world, for not making his intelligence more public; but his difcovery was made too late. He is defirous, however, in the spirit

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