XLVIII. A letter of Mr. William Shervington to Benjamin Franklin, Esq; of Philadelphia, concerning the transit of Mercury over the sun, on the 6 of May 1753, as observed in the Island of Antigua: Communicated by Mr. Peter Collinson, F. R. S


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X LVIII. A  Letter of Mr. W illiam  Sher- 
vington to Benjamin Franklin, Efq\ of 
Philadelphia, concerning the T ranut of 
Mercury over the Sun, on the 6  of May 
1 7 5 3 , as obferved in the IJland of A nti­
gua : Communicated By Mr. Peter C ollin- 
fon, F. R. S.

S I R ,  Aatigua, June 20,1753.
Read Nov. /T  R . Benjamin Mecom having re- 

,753* 1V1 ceived half a dozen circulatory
letters from you relating to Mercury’s tranfit over 
the fun the 6 o f laft May, he put them into m y 
hands. One would have fufficed for our ifland, as 
we are not overburthen’d with men, who have a tafte 
that way. Hereunder I fend you the refult o f my 
obfervation * thereof.

Sunday, May 6, at 6h f  yi", I obferved the 
weftern limb of Mercury to touch the weftern limb 
o f the fun ; and, at 10' 37", he touch’d the fame
with his eaftern limb, and totally difappear’d. Lat. 
of the place 170 o' N . Lon. by eftimation i p 45' 
W . from London.

This was taken by a Graham’s watch, and cor­
rected by two altitudes taken by a moft exquifite 
quadrant; viz.

. At

*  D r. Charles R ofe, who was in Antigua at this tim e, fays, that 
thefe obfervations were taken by Capt. Richard T yrrel, o f  the faid

ifland,
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C 3*9 ]
A t 6& j 8 ' 7m, I obferved the diftance o f the fun’a 

upper limb from the zenith =  7 2 0 21' j o 7. A nd, 
a tp h  3 lf I obferved the fame =  36° i f  o".

By the common procefs (which you may have, i f  
neceflary) I found the watch was o ° 4!' 28'" too 
fa ft*  j therefore,

h
%

F rom  “ “  «*» 6 i o  37
T ak e —  —  —  o  4  4  28

mmmmm+rnmmmm mmmmmmrn

T rue appar*. tim e o fM ercs. exit here, 6 32 32

Pray impart your obfervation to

Your Well-wifher,

W illiam  Shervington.

ifland, and w ho is poflefled o f  a valuable collection o f  aftronomical 
inftrum ents, made by M r. Bird in the Strand, L ondon, and that 
M r. Shervington only was prefent.

*  M r. Shervington has taken the m ean o f thefe tw o  altitudes 
from the error o f  his watch 5 and there can be no doubt that his 
obfervation is a good on e, w h ich, compared w ith that made in  
Surry-ftreet by Mr. Short, p .  109, /. 1. & c . fixes the longitude o f 
the place o f his obfervation in Antigua 4 h 5 ' j o 7', or 6 l °  3 0 " ,
w eft of St. Paul’s , London.

XLIX .

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