Extract of a Letter from the Right Honourable the Lord Paisley, F. R. S. to Mr. George Graham, F. R. S. With Some Curious Figures of the Same Comet

Philosoph. Transact. No. 382. F.1 Friday Oct. 11th at 7 in the Evening. F.2 Sunday Oct. 13th at 6 ditti F.3 Tuesday Oct. 15th at 6 ditti Supposing the Moon to be of this Diameter, the Comet Seem'd to me to be in proportion to this Circle; as above delineated. Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 II. Extract of a Letter from the Right Honourable the Lord Paisley, F. R. S. to Mr. George Graham, F. R. S. With some curious Figures of the same Comet. His Lordship being at Witham in Essex, where he had the Advantage of a very clear Sky, first discover'd this Comet on Friday the 11th of Octob. last about 7 in the Evening; it then appeared not much unlike a Star of between the 4th and 5th Mag- nitudes, but a Haziness round the Head, and some Light streaming from it on that Side that was oppo- site to the Sun, induced him immediately to look upon it as a small Comet; which his Observation the next Evening abundantly satisfy'd him of. His Lordship was very particular in the Notice he took of its Appearance, and was pleased to communicate the three curious annexed Figures [Fig. 1, 2, 3.] of it, representing it on three several Nights, viz. the 11th, 13th and 15th of the same Month; some time after which the Tail became so inconsiderable as hardly to deserve any farther Description; as will be readily judged from the Decrease of it between the 11th and 15th Days of the Month. The Tail was visible on the 11th to near a Degrees Distance from the Body, as his Lordship found by comparing it with some known Distances in the Heavens; it was of a dusky Light not unlike a Cloud growing darker and darker to- wards its Extremity, as is express'd in the first Figure, where, as well as in the two following, the white Speck in the Head is intended to express the Bright- ness nefs of a small Star; from the Comparison of which with the Tail the Brightness of the latter may in some sort be collected: The Tail appear'd sharper, and not so much spread in the two following Observations, and in the last did not exceed one third Part of the first Length; it was then of a much darker Colour, which made the Difference between that and the Head more observable, the Head yet appearing sufficiently bright. For some following Nights his Lordship's Observations were interrupted by cloudy Weather, after which the Comet was so far diminish'd, as only to be known by its Motion, its Appearance being no ways distinguishable from that of a small nebulose Star. III. Observatio ejusdem Cometae ab Illustrißimo Domino Francisco Bianchini habita Albani Mensae Octobri, 1723. & ab eodem Ulyssiponem missa P. Joanni Baptistæ Carbone Soc. f E S N. Commuicavit Isaacus Samuda, M.D. Col. Med. Lond. L. S. R. S. Die 17 Octobris, postquam Jovialium Comitum situm observavsem forte in Constellationem Capricorni oculos conieci; cumque astra singula percurrerem, in quamdam veluti nebulosam stellam incidi, caeteris sane grandiorem, quam tamen ibidem loci numquam antea observaram. Rei novitate perscrutatus, eo Telescopium direxi, statimque Cometæ esse deprehendi; siquidem tenuissimæ nebulæ globus apparuit, ejusque in medio veluti lucidus nucleolus. Idem quoque nudis oculis discernere licuit; & praeter