Orders have been fent to the customhoufe, for the Spanish ambassador's baggage to be paffed without any examination, and to be shipped with out any delays whatfoever. And the Spanish merchants here, having wait. ed upon the earl of Egremont, have obtained leave for all Spanifh fhips, now loaded or loading in any of the ports of Great-Britain, to depart in fafety, agreeable to treaties which ftipulate, that in cafe of a rupture, the fubjects of each nation fhall have fix months to return to their respective countries with their effects. The Spaniards, on the contrary, have laid an embargo on all shipping in their ports, till they knew how we behaved to theirs.

It is computed that among the prifoners actually in England, taken on board of French fhips, there are about 10,000 Spaniards.

Theftate of the Spanish navy, by the laft accounts, was as follows,

16 to 24; 68 floops, from 8 to 14, befides fwivels, 12 bombs, 10 firefhips, 4 ftore-fhips, 39 armed veffels hired, 7 royal yatchs, 5 fmall yatchs.- -372 king's fhips. English fhips of war loft, taken, or become unferviceable, 1761 Duke d'Aquitain, of 64 guns, Sunderland of 60, Newcastle of 50. Queenborough of 20, Duke and Protector, company's fhips, loft off Pondicherry.-Cumberland, of 50 guns, loft off Goa.-Pheasant floop, loft in the Channel.-Sybilla armed veffel, loft off Gibraltar.-Speedwell cutter, taken off Vigo.-Emerald, of 34 guns, Kennington of 20, and Port Antonio floop, broken up and fold.-Great-Britain, of 120 guns, Victory of 110, London of 90, Formidable of 80, Ramilies of 74, on the ftocks, building new, or rebuilding.-48 fhips (28 of them of the line) are at prefent laid up for repair, &c.

Mrs. Canner, of Melton-Mowbray, aged 50, was lately delivered of a fon.

Some time ago Mrs. Cook, a fhop-keeper in Middlewich, Chefhire, being in diftreffed circum. ftances, in her great defpair, murdered her two children, and then put an end to her own life.

Died lately. A woman, at Arnhuus, in Denmark, aged 102. Three other perfons are now alive there, aged above 100.

Francis Watkins, of Trevethin, in Monmouthshire, aged 1oz.

Jane Prudhomme, near Guise, in France, aged 103.

Francis Atkins, aged 104, who had been porter at the palace gate at Salisbury, ever fince bishop Barnet's time.

Mrs. Poft, of Great Cheveril, Wilts, aged 105.

Simeon

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 ferved 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 Hamil ton's-Baun, in Ireland, aged 133. In the courfe of this year, 1761, were chriftened at Newcastle, 623; buried, 408. Increafed in the chriftenings 35; decreafed in the burials, 114.

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

The burials in Norway, in the district 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 go, 63 to the age of 100, and 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, 274 children were born, 2593 perlons 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 thoufand, four hundred and eighty children were baptized, and 7720 perfons died, at Amfterdam.

Two hundred and thirty-fix proteftant children were baptized at Ratisbon, 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 bithops, 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 laft year, 4989 children were born there, and 7149 died. A general bill of all the christenings and burials in London, from Dec. 9. 1760, to Dec. 15, 1761. Christened Buried Males 8183 Males 10668 Females 7817 Females 10395

On the late tranfit of Venus over the Sun, June 6th, 1761.

W

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

of

ourfelves with giving an account the obfervation of the tranfit in the year 1639, made by our countryman Mr. Horrox, and the firft ob fervation 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 hear tily with fuccefs in reconciling the difagreements 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.

WH

HEN Kepler firft conftructed 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 publifhed at Leipfic, in 1629, entitled 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

When our illuftrious countryman Mr. Horrox, firft applied himself to practical aftronomy, he computed Ephemerides for feveral years, from Lanfbergius's tables. After continuing his labours for fome the imperfection of these tables,

time, he was enabled to difcover

upon which he laid afide his work, of the ftars from his own obfervaintending to determine the pofition 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 conjunctions, their appulfes to the fixed flars, and the most remarkable

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

Hence he was 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 upon them entirely, but confulted other tables, and particularly thofe of Kepler. Accordingly, in a letter 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 telefope,

par

particularly to measure the diameter of the planet Venus; which, according to Kepler, would amount to 7 m. according to Lanfbergius to 11 m. but which, according to his own proportion, he expected would hardly exceed one minute. He adds, that the conjunction, according to Kepler, will be Nov. 24. 1639, at 8 h. 1 m. A. M. at Manchefter, 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 small alteration in Kepler's numbers would greatly alter the time of the conjunction, and the quantity of the planet's latitude, he advifes 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 phænomenon, 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, unless 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 small; whereas, his telefcope, which rendered the folar fpots diftinctly visible, would fhew 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 narrowness of the place VOL. IV.

not allowing a larger fize; but even this fize admitted divifions fufficiently 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 trufted rather to the accuracy and nicenefs of his eye.

When the time of obfervation drew near, he adjusted 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 disk before three o'clock on the afternoon of the 24th, from his own corrected numbers, upon which he chiefly relied; yet, because the calculations in general from other tables gave the time of the conjunction much fooner, and fome even on the 23d, he observed 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 alfo he afterwards faw on fome of the fol lowing days.

But at 3 h. 15 m. in the afternoon, which was the firft opportunity he had of repeating his obfervation, the clouds were entirely difperfed, and invited him to feize this favourable occafion, which feemed to be providentially thrown in his way; for then he beheld the [0]

moft

moft agreeable fight, a fpot, which had been the object of his moft fanguine wishes, of an unusual fize, and of a perfectly circular shape, just 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 utmost care to profecute his obfervations.

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.

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 somewhat reclined on account of the Sun's altitude, that Venus's had wholly entered apon the Sun's disk at 3h. 15 m. at about 62 d. 30m. (certainly be tween 60 d. and 65 d.) from the vertex towards the right hand. (Thefe were the appearances with in the dark chamber.) And this in elination continued conftant, at leaft to all fenfe, to the end of the obfervation.

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

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. 20 m. 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 lflands; that is, 14 d. 15 m. to the weft of Uraniburg.

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 di meter, by a 6th, or at most a 5th fub-divifion. The diameter there fore of the Sun to that of Venus

Thefe were all the obfervations which the shortness of the time allowed him to make, upon this most 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 utmoll exactnefs; for it was extremely difficult, from the Sun's rapid motion, to obferve it to any eertainty within the degree: and he ingenuously confeffes that he neither did, nor could poffibly perform it. The reft are very much to be depended upon, and as exact as he could with.

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 sky was very unfavourable to him, and was fo covered with clouds, almost during the whole day, that he gave