Arkansas intelligencer., 1843-04-08
( For the Arkansas Intelligencer.
r He COMET.

to s'thep ephenomehon, we may he permitted though
Of the wilderness verge 10 join word perhaps
without being branded with presumption. notwiih-
stnndine the result Of our view shouId chance u
differ = little from tho reports Of wiser and more
earned eyes beyond the AlIeennios: indeed, an
obituary notice is due the ~demise Of the lawful
monsser," in celebration Of his obsequies.
From the Northern papers it seems that COM
Ct was observed in the daytime at some pluces,
about the first Of March. which without doub,
was that which afterwards became visible here,
when i bad rcceded Ear enough to the ward OF
sun TO be above the horizon fter night fall
We did not observe it at the samo period. owing
to the coniinued cloudy weather about 4hat time.
The same cause prevented oven its ..taiI'' from,
beng seen, i'd most parts Of Arkansas till the cye
ming of the 10Th ultimo.
The eastern reports had not vet reached us-
no prcdiction Of the appearance Of comet al,
this tiine was known 70 any of US: the evening
was clear and the moon shonc brght-whel, /, Il
friend called me, between and 8 o'clock, to look
at a singular .'streak" in the west. Ar that in.
slant few light tuits of whtsh vapour, which
for all the world were undistngushab bic ia colour
from The ..streak, - happened 10 be floa,nv Ia
fhst direction: wherefore we concluded i. 10 be-
but FOG thrown into that shape By singular freak
Of nature; but watching it for Few minutes, and
finding that, though the hazy tufts disa pp-a red.
.lre rhessrraesnp stai retained its sha ne many
Yniaesitp>iEIy pfoqonnced il tile ..tarl of comet.
f!owescr. ismbcrs adopted the opinion. that il was
. '.lunes rsinbow." As ridiculous a. this iden
would seem, have since observed il TO have been
grnyely asser:ed IN some respectable prints 10 the
enlightened city Of New Orleans and other places
sny tssd'cuious, because every one who has the
slightsst glimmcring of the philosophy OF rain
blss.or oven u shepherds experience, knows tha,
they can only appear in contrary direction from,
tho sunsinary which produces them, and that this
must not be at an elevation of 45deg else even
tho upper section of the curve viii f.H below the
horizou: widely differing from tho circumstances Of
tho present phenomenon; for tho xp,oon passing
our meridian at half past seven, with n decna.
tlon northof PAL deg. il was nearly in the zenith.
being tetweenit at the upper extremity of This
rsgAf-fSacd 'sbow. No were but Iittls less sur-
psised wien saw It called, in some Of the pnpers
eseDin Washington City and elsewhere, the 10
dincal light;" for according TO their own ac
counts Of that phenomenon. the present bore no
approximate resemblance. except in colour
With ~ the rainbow" advocates asserted TIM,
it would rot be sosn afier tho hoavy fall Of snow
OF the 18TH; and werc consequently astounded
whom it shone ont with redoubled spIendour on
The eveping Of the l7th-being the first perfectly
clear tiDe thereafter.
/ see the Times and Advocate declares It M a
MATTER ccsfain, shat, il the light seen here Is
the tail Of a comet. ts head musl have been below
the horizon, ard consequently not seen by those
who profess to have seon it," Now, as am one
who 'psogess" 10 have seen the head or body. and
puhlistst an articls u that effect ia ;he lntegen-
cr Of hlnrch l0ih. kmusi tell our friend of the
II. and a. that thepae thing ccrssi1 is that he is
IN an esrof. In ths article nilusd to, said, +
tiais const has sselexs [mcaning an opaqsc pNrtl
with the mixed eyo but the tail: yet with the as
sstnnce Of telescope Of small maenifying pow
er. though no nucleus still appears. there may be
distinctly seen. the coma Itueaning the dense
nebncua esceiopvJ q dim. hnzy but somewhat iu-
n''nous sipot lis lower extremity, occupying more
.saca than fhe plnreA Vanns.r &c. 10 In mn v
ndtl TINT hniry beard Of lurid but moro luminous
slreams Of light than the tail, extended some do.
grees into il from the .head'' fading away into
The sassse milky nebdia. Nor did alone view ii:
dozens It spectators. particularly on the evening
OF the 18th, saw It through the rme telescope,
and ~ ttoy can testify, without exception pro-
nc'need the "body, (though gfensiy dimn,esj as
dsstin inclty and nnequivocaliy visible ~ any star
itl the hgayens. ~
But hnving mnde no notes Of nv first obsersa-
tions, caanot assert when first discovered this
''llcat, yst believe il wns the evening Of March
lt--st an events not as late as the 18th. A. the
moon did not rise on the evening Of the l7sh tii
half mst 8, the tail was truly brilliant, and even
= del eriag Of the .'star" might be seen BY indi.
roct saion. That evening, for The first sime, 1
ssade abse: satons With sextanf 70 determine fie
right cension and declination of the s.star," as
nearly a. the lack q other suitable instrumeots
woald permit: and whom We have the reporSs
from t?sies Il naine do not turn ont np6noxi
fEAately ssien * il pc sa;d thar Il W. ,sos
ssssee9 c o "a Tess % bavS spon il. Z " ID 8
3p ~ ex Rns nearly 10 deg. {k
"a e q koutS - mini11 Z * - y