The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-08-07 00:00:00

THE PRESENT COMET.

On the 26th of November, 1818, M. Pons, a French astro-
nomer, discovered, at Marseilles, the presence of a small
comet in the firmament, and communicated the fact to the
Academy of Sciences of Paris. M. Bouvard, the astrono-
mer at the Royal Observatory at Paris, observed it, and cal-
culated the path which it traversed in passing through the
system during the month of December and part of January.
On the 13th of January, 1819, he communicated the result
of his observations to the Board of Longitude of France;
and M. Arago observed, that a comet resembling it, had been
recorded in the year 1805, which followed the same path. It
was thence thought probable that this was the same comet
returning upon its steps after an interval of 13 years.
M. Encke, an eminent astronomer of Berlin, bestowed
more than ordinary care in the observation of this body
during the early part of 1819. Where so small a part of the
complete orbit could be observed he felt that a proportionate
degree of precision was indispensable. Any inaccuracy in the
observed part would be exaggerated in the much larger por-
tion to be discovered, and would involve the solution he
amied at in more and more doubt. He succeeded, however,
in tracing the visible path of the comet with sufficient accu-
racy to enable him to declare that it was a fragment of an
extensive elliptical curve of a very oval form, its extreme
length being about twice its breath that the sun was placed
at one of the foci ten times nearer to one end of the oval
than to the other; that the end of the oval nearest to the
sun was just within the orbit of the nearest planet—Mercury,
while the further end of it reached nearly to the orbit of
Jupiter.
Having thus discovered the complete path in which this
comet must have moved, the calculation of the time of its
motion was easy. The period of completing its course, and
returning to the same point of its path was ascertained to be
1208 days.
This discovery enabled astronomers to take a retrospect of
its past history, and to ascertain which of its former visits
had been noticed. It was, accordingly found that it was first
seen in 1786, by Machain and Messier, two French astrono-
mers; the latter of whom obtained such a reputation for dis-
covering the presence of comets, that Louis XV. conferred
upon him the soubriquet of Le F'uret de Cometes (the Comet
Ferret.) Such was the difficulty of perceiving it, that these
astronomers only obtained two observations, which were quite
insufficient for the calculation of its path. It was next seen
by Miss Hershel,* the aunt of Sir John Herschel, in 1795,
and was, in the same year, observed by several European
astronomers. During its visit in 1805, it was, as we have
already stated, observed; and on that occasion its course
through the system was sufficiently determined to identify it
with that which it followed on its appearance in 1818-1819.
This body, which is now called Encke's comet, is therefore
a regular member of the solar system, moving round the sun
in obedience to the law of gravitation. Its motion differs in
nothing from that of the planets, except in the greater ellipti-
city of its path. It is well known that the orbits of the
planets are nearly circular, are all in the same plane, and
the motion in them is all in the same direction. The orbit
of Encke's comet is also nearly in the common plane of the
ecliptic being only 13 degrees. It moves round the sun in
the same direction as the planets.
Having succeeded in determining the periodic time and
other circumstances connected with the motion of this comet,
Encke was enabled to predict its succeeding returns; and it
has fully verified his calculations, by its several appearances
in 1822, 1825, 1829, 1832, and 1835.
Its next predicted re-appearance is during the present
month; and this prediction will be verified when these pas-
sages are in the hands of the reader.
Professor Backe has published an ephemeris exhibiting
its place in the firmament from day to day, from the Ist of
Angust to the last day of December. This ephemeris is, of
course, calculated fur the meridian of Berlin ; but we are in-
debted to the active and efficient superintendent of our nau-
tical almanack, Lieutenant Stratford, for a corresponding
ephemeris deduced from the former, for the meridian of
Greenwich.

By these calculations, it appears that, on the 2d of the
present month, the comet must pass our meridian at twenty-
three minutes past five in the morning, and on each succeed-
ing day will pass it earlier, until the last day of the month,
on which it will pass it at a quarter before four in the morn-
ing.

The point where it will cross the meridian on the 2d of the
month will be 30 degrees south of the zenith ; and each suc-
cessive day it will pass the meridian at a more elevated point.
On the last day of August it will cross the meridian at 23
degrees south of the zenith.

During this month the comet will be visible in the firma-
ment, on the eastern side of the meridian, between ten
o'clock at night and five in the morning, and will be at a
sufficient elevation to be discovered by a good telescope.
During the month of September, the time of its passing
the meridian will gradually come nearer to midnight, and it
will consequently be in circumstances still more favourable
for observation. On the 15th of October it will pass through
the zenith at midnight; and on the of November it will
cross the meridian at noon, at a distance of 48 degrees south
of the zenith. It will then be in a position more unfavour-
able for observation.

The comet will be at its least distance, from the earth on
the 7th of November, and at its least distance from the
sun on the 18th of December.

The appearance of this comet is that of small round nebula
without the appendage of a tail. It is rather brighter to-
wards the centre than at the edges; but so faint, even when
brightest, that it is discovered in the heavens at all times
with some difficulty. It produces not the slightest observable
effect by its attraction on any body of the solar system ; but
on the other hand, suffers considerable perturbations by the
attraction of the planets on it. All these circumstances lead
to the conclusion, that it is a small light globe of matter,
probably destitute of solidity, and in a state of vapour.—
Abridged from the Monthly Chronicle for Auq.

* This lady is the sister of the late Sir William Herschel.
She has been eminently distinguished as an astronomer, and
obtained one of the gold medals bestowed by the Royal As-
tronomical Society, of which she is an honorary member.
She now, at an advanced age, resides in Hanover.

STATIONS OF THE BRITISH ARMY
ON THE IST OF AUGUST, 1838.
(Frum the United Service Journal.)

Where two places are mentioned, the last named is that a
which the depot of the regiment is stationed.]

Ist Life Guards—Regent's Pk.
2d—Hyde Park
B. Horse Guards—Windsor
Ist Dragoon Guards—Canada;
Coventry
2d—Ne wbridge
3d—Manchester
4th—lpswich
sth—York
6th—Dorchester
7th—Edinburgh
Ist Dragoons—Cork
2d—Dublin
3d—Bengal
4th—Bombay
6th—Cahir
7th Hussars Canada ; Co.

39th Ft.—Madras; Chatham
40th—Bombay ; Chatham
41st—Madras; Chatham
42d—Dublin
,I.3d—Canada; Dover
44th—Bengal; Chatham
45th—Canterbury
466—Gibraltar; Devon port
47th—Malta; Portsmouth
48th:it—Cork
49th—Bengal; Chatham
50th—N. S. Wales; Chatham
51st—Chatham; V. D. Land
52d¢—Gibraltar; Newcastle
53d—Ionian Isles; Dublin
54th—Madras; Chatham
55th—Madras; Chatham
56th—Jamaica; Sheerness
57th—Madras; Chatham
58th*—Ceylon; Fethard
59th—Malta; Mullingar
60th (Ist bait.)—Corfu; Hull
(2d batt.)—Corfu • Jersey
61st*—Ceylon; dlonmel
62d—Madras; Chatham
6.3l—Madras; Chatham
64th—Jamaica; Londonderry
65th—America; Naas
166th—Canada • Youghal
167th—West Indies; Chatham
68th—Jamaica; Waterford
69th—W. Indies; Cork
70th—W. Indies; Guernsey
71st—Canada; Cork
72d—C. of G. Hope; Paisley
73d—America; Clare Castle
74th—W. Indies ; Aberdeen •
75th—C. of G. Hope; Boyle
76th—W. Indies • Drogheda
77th—Malta; Galway
78th—Glasgow
79th—Dublin
80th—N. S. Wales; Chatham
8 lst—Gibraltar ; Carlisle
82d—Gibraltar; Cork
83d—Canada; Chester Castle
84th—Portsmouth
85th—Canada; Plymouth
866—Stockport
87th—Mauritius; Castlebar
88th—Bolton
89th—West Indies ; Gosport
90th—Ceylon; Portsmouth
91st—St. Helena; Dundee
92d—Malta; Nenagh
93d—America; Buttevant
94tha—Cork
951ha—Newry
96thi—Dublin , •
; 97th—Birr
98th—Manchester
99th—Athlone
Rifle Brigade (Ist batt)—
Tower
(2d batt.)—Woolwich
Royal Staff Corps—ft) the
Ist W. India Regiment—St.
Lucia, &c.
2d—N. Providence and Hon-
duras
Ceylon Rifle Regt.—Ceylon
Cape Mounted Riflemen—C.
of Good Hope
Royal African Colonial Corps
—Sierra Leone
Royal Newfd. Veteran Comp.
—Newfoundland
Royal Malta Fencibles—Malta

ventry
Bth—Dublin '
9th Lancers—Leeds
10th Hussars—Hounslow
11th Light Dragus.—Cantby.
12th Lancers—Brighton
13th Light Dragns.—Madras
11th —Bii mingham
15th Hussars—Glasgow
16th Lancers—Bengal
17th—Dublin
Grenadier Grds. (Ist batt.)—
St. George's Bar.
(2d batt.)—Canada
(3d batt.)—Portman Bar.
Coldstream Guards (Ist batt.)

—Windsor
(2d batt.)—Canada
Scotch Fusileer Guards (Ist
batt.) Wellington Bar.
(2d batt.)—St. John's Wood
Ist Foot (Ist batt.)—Edinbro'
(2d batt.) —Canada; Plymtb.
2d Foot—Bombay ; Chatham
3d—Bengal; Chatham
4th—Madras; Chatham
sth—lonian Isles; Portsmtb.
6th—Bombay; Chatham
7th—Dublin
Bth—Jamaica; Cork
9th—Bengal; Chatham
10th—Templernore
llth*—Bermuda; Chatham
12tb—Mauritius; Tralee
13th—Bengal; Chatham
14th—West Indies; Brecon
15th—Canada; Plymouth
16th—Bengal; Chatham
17th—Bombay; Chatham
18th—Ceylon Newbridge
19th—Kilkenny
20th— Weedon
21st—Van Dieman's Land;

Chatham
22d—Belfast
23d—America; Armagh
24th—Canada; Gosport
25th—Limerick
26th —Bengal ; Chatham
27th—C. of G. Hope; Dover
28th—N..S. Wales; Chatham
29th—Plymouth
3Uth—Bermuda ; Sunderland
31st—Bengal; Chatham
32d—Canada; Fermov
33d—Gibraltar; Drug-hetla
31th—Canada; Fermoy
35th—Mauritius; Stitlmg
36th-
-NV Indies; Cork
37th—Jamaica; Cork
38th—Enniskillen

• Ordered home. I Ordered for W. Indies.
t Ordered for America. a Ordered for Ceylon.
Ordered for Gibraltar.

QUEEN VICTORIA'S MINISTERS.—The apology of the Mi-
nisters is, that, however well inclined, they can do no better
But Ministers who can do no better than very bad ought not
to continue Ministers. This, however, is a view of the case
the present Ministers seem quite incapable of taking. They
add, " the circumstances of the country" (that is of the repre-
sentation) as another excuse. [What a censure upon the
Reform Bill !]—Herald.
MIDLAND COUNTIES RA LOVA Y.—The works on this line
are in a great state of forwardness between Nottingham and
Derby. Several miles of road are ready for laying the per-
manent way, and one half of the whole length will tie laid
by the end of the present year, unless the weathershall prove
uuf.‘vouralale., _ The. public may expect the _ahaveatamed. por.L
tion of the line to be opened on the Ist of May, 1839. The
line between Nottingham and Derby, it is anticipated, will
be better than any let made, as the rails are stronger in sec-
tion than any now in use; the blocks are of a very superior
quality, and the materials for ballast of the best description
for the purpose. A beautiful cast-iron bridge is to be built
over the liver Trent, at Red-bill, and is to be of three arches
span, of 100 feet each. The contractor is now constructing
the cyffer-dam for the pier; he has also commenced the tun-
nel trough the ridge at Red-hill. From the Trent to Lei-
cester the contractors are proceeding with the greatest possi-
ble despatch. Nearly -1000 men are employed, viz.:-800 on
the Nottingham and Derby line, about 1200 between the
Trent and Leicester, and nearly 2000 between Leicester and
Rugby. The line across the meadows, approaching the Not-
tingham station, is proceeding with railroad celerity, and the
contractors feel confident that this part of the line will be
finished long before the stipulated time—Derbyshire Courier.