hich had already fully entered upon the Sun's disc on
the left, so that the limbs of the Sun and Venus precisely coincided,
forming an angle of contact. Not doubting that this was really the
shadow of the planet, I immediately applied myself sedulously to observe
it.

'In the first place, with respect to the inclination, the line of the
diameter of the circle being perpendicular to the horizon, although its
plane was somewhat inclined on account of the Sun's altitude, I found
that the shadow of Venus at the aforesaid hour--namely, fifteen minutes
past three--had entered the Sun's disc about 62 deg. 30', certainly between
60 deg. and 65 deg., from the top towards the right. This was the appearance in
the dark apartment; therefore, out of doors, beneath the open sky,
according to the laws of optics, the contrary would be the case, and
Venus would be below the centre of the Sun, distant 62 deg. 30' from the
lower limbs or the nadir, as the Arabians term it. The inclination
remained to all appearances the same until sunset, when the observation
was concluded.

'In the second place, the distance between the centres of Venus and the
Sun I found by three observations to be as follows:--

The Hour. | Distance of the Centres.
|
At 3.15 by the clock | 14' 24''
" 3.35 " | 13' 30''
" 3.45 " | 13' 0''
" 3.50 the apparent sunset. |

The true setting being 3.45, and the apparent about 5 minutes later, the
difference being caused by refraction. The clock therefore was
sufficiently correct.

'In the third place I found after careful and repeated observation that
the diameter of Venus, as her shadow was depicted on the paper, was
larger indeed than the thirtieth part of the solar diameter, though not
more so than the sixth, or at the utmost the fifth of such a part.
Therefore let the diameter of the Sun be to the diameter of Venus as 30'
to 1' 12''. Certainly her diameter never equalled 1' 30'', scarcely
perhaps 1' 20'', and this was evident as well when the planet was near
the Sun's limb as when far distant from it.

[Illustration: VENUS ON THE SUN'S DISC.]

'This observation was made in an obscure village where I have long been
in the habit of observing, about fifteen miles to the north of
Liverpool, the latitude of which I believe to be 53 deg. 20', although by
common maps it is stated at 54 deg. 12', theref