immerge into his fhadow, at 4 mi. nutes and 18 feconds after 5 o'clock in the morning.

Wednesday, February 17th. (OCCULTATION OF JUPITER.) The planet JUPITER will fuffer an occultation by the Moon, his longitude being 5..1..8', and latitude 1..15.3" north. About 53 minutes after 9 o'clock in the evening, this planet will come in contact with the Moon's eastern limb; at which time it will be fituated about 8 miuutes to the fouth of the Moon's center. After continuing eclipsed for the space of 5 minutes, Jupiter will emerge from behind the Moon's weftern limb at 4 minutes after 10 o'clock in the evening, at which time it is fituated about 34 minutes to the fouth of the Moon's center. About 4"..56' before the beginning of this occultation, the Moon is in oppofition to the Sun, and the whole of her difc, confequently illuminated. The declination of Jupiter is 12°..15 north, and he will come to the meridian about 12 minutes paft 12 o'clock in the evening. The Moon's horizontal femidiameter is 12'..47" ;her horizontal parallax 54'..15";and the will come to the meridian about 2 minutes after 12 o'clock in the evening.

On the fame evening about 22 minutes and 47 feconds after ó o'clock in the evening, the second fatellite of Jupiter will immerge into his fha dow.

Thursday, February 18th.

About 1 minutes after 5 o'clock in the morning, the Moon will be in conjunction with the planet SATURN, in longitude 5.4°..28', and latitude 1..52'..50" north.

On the fame morning, about 52 minutes and 42 feconds after one o'clock, the first fatellite of Jupiter will immerge into his fhadow.

On the fame day, about 15 minutes and 47 feconds after 11 o'clock in the evening, the third fatellite of Ju

piter will immerge into his fhadow ; and, after continuing there for the fpace of 3.24.52", it will emerge from Jupiter's fhadow, at 40 minutes and 39 feconds after two o'clock next morning.

Friday, February 19th.

At one minute after 7 o'clock in the morning, the Sun will enter the fign Pisces, or his longitude will then be 11 figns.

Saturday, Feb. 20th.

The planet JUPITER will be in oppofition to the Sun at three o'clock in the morning. The emerfion of his fatellites will now become visible, and the shadow of his body will be towards the left hand of Jupiter's difc

Tuesday, Feb. 23d.

The planet SATURN will be in op. pofition to the SUN, about 8 o'clock in the morning, in longitude 115.. 4°..3..21", and latitude 10..53' north. He will confequently arrive at the meridian about 12 o'clock in the evening.

Wednesday, Feb. 24th.

The Moon will eclipfe Scorpionis, a ftar of the third magnitude, in longitude 8..0..9'..56", and latitude 5o..26'..15" fouth. This ftar will immerge behind the eastern or illuminated limb of the Moon, about 2 minutes after one o'clock midnight, at which time it is fituated 83 minutes to the north of the Moon's

centre;

caufes which difpofe the fun to emit more or lefs copiously the rays which occafion either of them. And, if we fhould ever fail in this refpect, we may at least fucceed in becoming acquainted with certain fymptoms or indications, from which fome judge ment might be formed of the temperature of the feafons we are likely to have.

-Perhaps our confidence in folar obfervations made with this view, might not exceed that which we now place on the indications of a good barometer, with regard to rain or fair weather; but, even then, a probability of a hot fummer, or its contrary, would always be of greater confequence than the expectation of a few fair or rainy days.

With regard to the effects of the influence of the fun, we know already, that in the fame latitudes the feafons differ widely in temperature; that it is not hottest at noon, or coldest at midnight; that the fhorteft day is neither attended with the fevereft frofts, nor the longeft day with the moft oppreffing heats; that large forefts, lakes, moraffes, and swamps, affect the temperature one way; and rocky, fandy, gravelly, and barren fituations in a contrary manner; that the feafons of iflands are confiderably different from thofe of large continents, and fo forth.

Refpecting the contemporary feverity and mildness of the feasons, it will hardly be neceffary to remark, that nothing decifive can be obtained. But, if we are deficient here, an indi rect fource of information is opened to us, by applying to the influence of the fun-beams on the vegetation of wheat in this country. I do not mean to fay, that this is a real criterion of the quantity of light and heat emanated from the fun; much lefs will the price of this article completely reprefent the fcarcity or abundance

of the abfolute produce of the coun-> try. For the price of commodities, will certainly be regulated by the demand for them; and this we know is liable to be affected by many fortuitous circumstances. However, al. though an argument drawn from a well-afcertained price of wheat, may not apply directly to our present purpofe, yet, admitting the fun to be the ultimate fountain of fertility, this fubject may deferve a fhort investigation, especially as, for want of proper thermometrical obfervations, no other method is left for our choice.

Our hiftorical account of the dif appearance of the spots in the fun, contains five very irregular and very: unequal periods. The first takes in a series of twenty one years, from 1650 to 1670, both included. But it is fo imperfectly recorded, that it is harldly fafe to draw any conclufions from it; for we have only a few ob-1 servations of one or two spots that were feen in all that time, and those were only observed for a fhort continuance. However, on examining the table of the prices of the quarter of nine bushels of the beft or highest 'priced wheat at Windfor, marked in Dr Adam Smith's valuable Inquiry into the Nature and Caufes of the Wealth of Nations †, we find that wheat, during the time of the twentyone years above mentioned, bore a very high price; the average of the quarter being 21. 10s. 5d. This period is much too long to fuppofe that we might fafely compare it with a preceding or following one of equal duration. Befides, no particulars having been given of the time preceeding, except that fpots in the fun, a good while before, began to grow very fcarce, there might even be fewer of them than from the year 1650 to 1670. Of the twenty-one years immediately following, we know that they certainly comprehend two short

periods,

periods, in which there were no spots on the fun; of these more will be faid hereafter; but including even them, we have the average price of wheat, from 1671 to 1691, only 21. 4s. 4 d. the quarter. The difference, which is a little more than as nine to eight, is therefore ftill a proof of a temporary scarcity.

Our next period is much better af certained. It begins in December 1676, which year therefore we fhould not take in, and goes to April 1684,; in all which time, Flamiteed, who was then observing, faw no fpot in the fun. The average price of wheat, during these eight years, was 21. 78. 7d. the quarter. We cannot justly compare this price with that of the preceding eight years, as fome of the former years of scarcity would come into that period; but the eight years immediately following, that is, from 1685 to 1691, both included, give an average price of no more than 11. 178. 1d. The difference, which is as full five to four, is well deferving

our notice.

A third, but very fhort period, is from the year 1686 to 1688, in which time Caffini could find no spot in the fun. If both years be included, we have the average price of wheat, for those three years, 11. 15s. o3d. the quarter. We ought not to compare this price with that of the three preceding years, as two of them belong to the preceding period of fcarcity; but the following three years give the average price for the quarter of wheat 11. 128. 10 d. or, as nearly eleven to

ten.

The fourth period on record, is from the year 1695 to 1700, in which time no fpot conld be found in the fun. This makes a period of five years; for in 1700 the fpots were feen again. The average price of wheat, in thefe years, was 31. 38. 3d. the quarter. The five preceding years, from 1690 to 1694, give 2l. 9s. 4 d. and the five following years, from Ed. Mag. Jan. 1802.

1700 to 1704, give 11. 17s. 11d. Thefe differences are both very confiderable; the laft is not less than five to three.

The fifth period extends from 1710 to 1713; but here there was one spot feen in 1710, none in 1711 and 1712,jand again one spot only in 1713. The account of the average price of wheat, for these four years, is 21. 17s. 4d. the quarter. The preceding four years, from 1706 to 1709, give the price 21. 38 74d. and the following years, from 1714 to 1717, it was 21. 6s. 9d. When the aftronomical account of the fun for this period, which has been stated above, is confidered, these two differences will be found very confiderable; the first of them being nearly as four to three.

The refult of this review of the foregoing five periods is, that, from the price of wheat, it feems probable that fome temporary scarcity or defect of vegetation has generally taken place, when the fun has been without thofe appearances, which we furmise to be symptoms of a copious emiffion of light and heat. In order, however, to make this an argument in favour of our hypothefis, even if the reality of a defective vegetation of grain were fufficiently established by its enhan ced price, it would ftill be neceffary to show that a deficiency of the folar beams had been the occafion of it. Now, thofe who are acquainted with agriculture may remark, that wheat is well known to grow in climates much colder than ours; and that a proper diftribution of rain and dry weather, with many other circumftances which it will not be neceffary to mention, are probably of much greater confequence than the absolute quantity of light and heat derived from the fun. To this I fhall only. fuggeft, by way of anfwer, that those very circumstances of proper alterations of rain, dry weather, winds, or whatever elle may contribute to fa vour vegetation in this climate, may

poffibly

poffibly depend on a certain quantity of fun-beams tranfmitted to us at proper times: but, this being a point which can only be afcertained by future obfervations, I forbear entering farther into a difcuffion of it.

It will be thought remarkable, that no later periods of the disappearance of the folar fpots can be found. The reafon, however, is obvious. The perfection of inftruments, and the increafed number of obfervers, have produced an account of folar fpots, which, from their fmallnefs, or their fhort appearance, would probably have been overlooked in former times. If we fhould in future only reckon the years of the total abfence of folar fpots, even that remarkable period of fcarcity which has fallen under my own obfervation, in which, nevertheless, I have now and then feen a few spots of fhort duration and of no great magnitude, could not be admitted.

For this reason, we ought now to diftinguish our folar obfervations, by reducing them to fhort periods of symptoms for or against a copious emiffion of the folar beams, in which all the phenomena we have pointed out fhould be noticed. The most ftriking of them are certainly the number, magnitude, and duration of the openings. The increafe and de

MR

creafe of the luminous appearance of the corrugations is perhaps full as effential; but, as it is probable that their brilliancy may be a confequence of the abundance of the former phenomena, an attention to the latter, which is fubject to great difficulties, and requires the very beft of telefcopes, may not be fo neceffary.

What remains to be added is but fhort. In the first of my two series of obfervations, I have pointed out a deficiency in what appears to be the fymptomatic difpofition of the fun for emitting light and heat: it has lasted from the year 1795 to 1800 *. That we have had a confiderable deficiency in the vegetation of grain, will hardly require any proof. The fecond feries, or rather the commencement of it, for I hope it will last long, has pointed out a favourable return of the rich appearance of the fun. This, if I may venture to judge, will probably occafion a return of fuch feafons as, in the end, will be attended by all their ufual fertility.

The fubject, however, being fo new, it will be proper to conclude, by adding, that this prediction ought not to be relied on by any one, with more confidence than the arguments which have been brought forwards in this Paper may appear to deferve.

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