A Letter from Dr. Bevis to Dr. De Castro, F. R. S. Containing Extracts of Father Augustin Hallerstein's Astronomical Observations Made at Pekin in 1744 and 1747

cannot but be of very great moment in the system of the universe. I am, Gentlemen, with all possible respect, London, Feb. 12, Your most obedient humble servant, 1752. W. Watson. LXII. A Letter from Dr. Bevis to Dr. De Castro, F. R. S. containing Extracts of Father Augustin Hallerstein's astronomical Observations made at Pekin in 1744 and 1747. Read March 5, I AM much obliged to you, Sir, for furthering F. Aug. Hallerstein's letter to me. It informs me, that the instrument I wrote the description and use of, was arrived safe at Pekin. According to that missionary's request, I have carefully looked over the observations he sent to Dr. Sanchez at Paris, to be communicated to the Royal Society through your hands. They are comparisons of all the planets with known fix'd stars taken in the Jesuit's College at Pekin, in 1746 and 1747, with a well-adjusted pendulum-clock, and a micrometer; and appear to me to have been done with judgment and accuracy accuracy; so as, in my humble opinion, to merit the Royal Society's consideration. I am, Dear Sir, Feb. 18, 1751. Your obliged and most obedient servant, J. Bevis. Observationes Lunæ 1747. JAN. 1, mane, mox a media nocte, observata occulta- tatio reguli (Bay α) aluna ut sequitur. | | | |---|---| | 1 | 46 o luna alta circ 59° capta ejus diameter 31 48 | | | 55 29 dist. α α a limbo lucid. propiore lunæ 48 37 | | 2 | 23 35 | | | 35 49 | | | 49 53 distantia ejusdem ab eodem | | 3 | 0 10 | | | 16 44 | | 4 | 0 3 α α immersit post limbum lunæ lucidum | | | in linea recta ducta per Grimaldi medium, | | | et Copernici limbum superiorem (situ recto) | | | observata emersio tubo 10 ped. | | 5 | 15 51 α α emersit de sub lunæ limb. obscuro in | | | linea recta per limb. superiorem Grimaldi, | | | et inferiorem Copernici (situ erecto) obser- | | vata emersio una simul tubis 10 et 5 ped. | B.b b 25 19 dist. α Ω a limb. remotiore lucid. lunæ 35 27 30 12 dist. ejusdem ab eodem 37 37 39 56 α Ω in horario 42 23 lunæ limb. remotior lucidus in horario, erat- que α Ω borealior limbo austrino lunæ 34 3 6 15 o capta rursum diameter lunæ 31 40 alta circ. 43°. Jan. 28. vesp. comparata luna cum stella ρ Ω, quæ a luna occultata fuerat, sed immersio quidem videri non potuit, luna post tectum templi adhucdum latente, itaque 9 29 57 emerit stella de sub parte obscura lunæ, tum vero 34 42 ρ Ω in horario 36 40 limb. lucid. lunæ remotior ortivus in horar. eratque ρ borealior limbo austrino remotiore lunæ 29 29 porro diameter lunæ per oblivionem non adnotata est. Feb. 25, vesp. comparata luna cum Regulo sive α Ω, quem illa quidem texerat, sed neque immerfio visa neque emerfio, luna post tectum templi la- tente; simul autem ac apparuit, 6 42 54 α Ω in horario 44 o margo occiduus lunæ in horario 45 56 macula Aristarchus in horar. australiori stellæ α 3 2 differentia temporar. stellæ α ab Aristarcho 7 26 capta diameter lunæ 32 4 42 39 α Ω in horar. accurate in eodem parallelo cum limbo lunæ, dum is postea circa hora- rium effet 47 28 Aristarch. in horar. austral. stella α Ω 13 6 Cum Cum ergo \(7^\circ 47' 28''\) Aristarch. esset australior stella \(\alpha\) \(13' 6''\), margo autem boreus lunæ, dum hujus centrum circa horarium esset, eundem præcise parallelum decurreret, quem decurrerat stella \(\alpha\) liquet Aristarchum margine boreo lunæ australiorem fuisse itidem \(13' 6''\). Erat autem idem Aristarchus orientalior margine occiduo lunæ \(1' 56''\) penduli: hinc facile erit appulsum centri lunæ ad horarium eruere, habita jam diametro lunæ \(32' 4''\). Tempora quod attinet harum operationum, corrigenda sunt singula, demendo \(1' 38''\) penduli. Totidem enim anticipâsse sequenti meridie compertum est. Observationes astronomicae habitæ Pekini in Collegio S. J. **Observatio \(b\) 1746.** | Nov. 28 mane | \(5^\circ 20' 49''\) occidentaliior in \(m\) | \(3^\circ 0'\) | |-------------|------------------------------------------|--------------| | | borealior | \(4^\circ 2'\) | | 29 | \(5^\circ 44' 0''\) borealior in \(m\) | \(37^\circ 36''\) | | | distabat ab eadem | \(37^\circ 54''\) | **Observat. \(v\) 1746.** | Jul. 13 vesp. | \(8^\circ 0'\) occident. \(\omega\) Ophiuc. | \(12^\circ 32'\) | |--------------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------| | | borealior | \(13^\circ 33'\) | | | distans ab \(\omega\) | \(16^\circ 43'\) | | Aug. 25 | \(8^\circ 0'\) orientalior \(\omega\) | \(1^\circ 30'\) | | | borealior | \(0^\circ 45'\) | | | distans ab \(\omega\) | \(1^\circ 57'\) | | 26 | \(7^\circ 18'\) orientalior \(\omega\) | \(0^\circ 6'\) | | | borealior | \(0^\circ 0'\) | | | dist. | \(5^\circ 28'\) | | B b b 2 | Aug. | | Aug. 28 8 15 0 4 occidentalior ω borealior 15 17 29 8 15 0 4 occidentalior ω borealior 15 18 4 pene stationarius dist. Aug. 4 9 0 0 4 occidentalior ω borealior 14 3 dist. 49 30 5 8 0 0 4 occidentalior ω borealior 13 39 dist. 48 10 Observationes & 1746. Sept. 29 mane 5 0 0 8 orientalior α & ω borealior 45 53 dist. 50 9 Nov. 14 mane 4 59 56 8 orientalior β m borealior 35 19 25 4 8 13 8 occidentalior n m borealior 33 42 dist. 53 15 Dec. 20 3 12 12 8 occidental. θ m borealior 6 9 Observationes §. Nov. 5 vesp. 6 5 0 2 occidentalior stella quadam ignota 0 35 35 eaque borealior 7 18 6 6 16 18 ignota heri occidentalior quam φ & eaque borealior 6 54 53 Nov. Nov. 7 5 51 41 occidentalior \( q \) 5 15 20 \( q \) elong. max. vesp. et borealior 13 55 8 5 54 15 occidentalior \( q \) 4 23 13 \( q \) lat. max. aust. et borealior 14 54 11 5 38 50 occidentalior \( q \) 0 50 38 borealior 21 5 Observatio \( q \) 1746. Dec. 10 vesp. 5 27 47 occidentalior \( q \) 6 29 49 borealior 14 11 Sedet hæc unica observatio subdubia. Observationes \( b \) 1747. Jan. 2 mane 3 0 8 occidentalior in \( m \) 2 37 56 australior 15 33 Feb. 3 mane 1 48 20 occidentalior 91 \( m \) 2 38 41 et borealior 12 13 4 1 9 25 occidentalior 95 \( m \) 2 38 41 borealior 12 13 5 1 4 8 occidentalior 95 \( m \) 2 38 26 borealior 12 46 \( b \) itaque jam retrogradus Apr. 5 mane 4 40 29 orientalior in \( m \) 1 11 57 borealior 40 9 8 4 25 34 orientalior in \( m \) 0 58 38 borealior 45 20 \( b \) prope \( q \) cum. max. lat. bor. Jun. 21 vesp. 8 15 19 occident. I (74 \( m \)) 0 18 33 australior 28 17 38 10 dist. 33 51 Jun. Jun. 24 8 21 21 h occidental. 74 m o 18 55 australior 29 3 25 8 47 13 h occidentalior 74 m o 18 48 australior 29 16 Bitaque directus Jul. 23 8 2 33 b orientalior 74 m o 20 25 et australior 53 1 Observationes υ 1747. Feb. 3 mane 6 6 48 υ occidentalior 28 f o 31 5 et australior 31 30 dist. 32 35 13 5 39 38 υ occidentalior v f o 17 47 australior o 58 28 5 37 26 υ orientalior o f o 1 23 australior 47 5. Observationes δ 1747. Jan. 5 mane 2 20 8 δ occidentalior in m o 24 4 borealior 14 28 6 3 13 17 δ occidentalior in m o 4 31 borealior 3 31 Feb. 15 5 43 46 δ orientalior μ = o 6 1 australior 11 33 cum max. lat. boreal. Apr. 30 mane 3 51 1 δ orientalior α = o 10 32 borealior 11 22 δ ⊙ δ vesper 9 9 5 δ occidentalior α = o 5 16 borealior 20 30 Maii 1 mane 3 55 0 δ occidentalior α = o 12 17 borealior 21 44 13 vespr. 8 16 24 δ occidentalior μ = 4 28 44 Maii | Date | Time | Description | Latitude | |------------|--------|----------------------|----------| | Maii 13 | | prope australior | 38° 4' | | | 16 | occidentalior μ | 5° 27' 54" | | | | australior | 26° 34" | | Jun. 10 vesp. 8 | 21 | occid. λ | 2° 19' 53" | | | | australior | 45° 16" | | Oct. 27 vesp. 6 | 7 | occidentalior χ | 4° 39' 45" | | | | borealior | 12° 18" | | Dec. 31 vesp. 6 | 7 | occident. σ | 0° 54' 8" | | | | australior | 6° 33" | **Observationes ♡ 1747.** | Date | Time | Description | Latitude | |------------|--------|----------------------|----------| | Jan. 8 vesp. 5 | 41 | orientalior β | 1° 4' 41" | | | | australior | 23° 32" | | Mar. 5 mane 5 | 43 | occident. β | 0° 13' 32" | | | | australior | 22° 51" | **Observationes ♢ 1747.** | Date | Time | Description | Latitude | |------------|--------|----------------------|----------| | Jan. 16 mane 6 | 4 | occidentalior ξ | 7° 43' 16" | | | | borealior | 24° 13" | | | 19 | occidentalior ξ | 5° 49' 13" | | | | australior | 2° 38" | | | 23 | occidentalior ξ | 2° 8' 36" | | | | australior | 33° 34" | | | 24 | occidentalior ξ | 1° 4' 41" | | | | australior | 40° 7" | | | 25 | occidentalior ξ | 0° 2' 45" | | | | australior | 45° 24" | | | 26 | dist. a ξ | 45° 39" | | | | orientalior ξ | 1° 16' 12" | | | | australior | 50° 2" | Jan. 26 6 26 35° occidentalior 0 26 49 et australior 10 28 31 56 distans ab eadem 26 52 Congressus planetarum observati 1747. Jan. 13 mane 2 51 54 in horario 52 43 in horar. austral. 47 2 Dec. 6 vesp. 5 34 34 immersit totaliter sub limb. obf. dist. a cornu bor. 23 28 tum lunæ diam. 32 53 6 46 2 emersit de sub dist. 29 24 a cornu boreo ejusdem. LXIII. Extracts of several Letters of Mor- dach Mackenzie, M.D. concerning the Plague at Constantinople. Dr. Clephane, F.R.S. to the Rev. Mr. Birch, Secr. R.S. SIR, Golden-Square, Feb. 25, 1752. Read March 5, 1752. BEFORE I transcribe my friend Dr. Mackenzie's letters relating to the late plague at Constantinople, it may not perhaps be improper to mention a few particulars concerning the plague in general, as I find them scatter'd up and down his former letters to me on that subject. In