stinct, the air very
pure, insomuch that he was able to use a power of 240. The seeming moon
had a diameter less than a third of Venus's, and showed the same phase
as the planet. Its disc was exceedingly well defined. He observed it
several times during a period of about one hour.

Still more convincing, to all appearance, is the account of the
observations made by M. Montaigne, as presented to the Academy of
Sciences at Paris by M. Baudouin in 1761. The transit of Venus which was
to take place on June 6 in that year led to some inquiry as to the
satellite supposed to have been seen by Cassini and Short, for of course
a transit would be a favourable occasion for observing the satellite. M.
Montaigne, who had no faith in the existence of such an attendant, was
persuaded to look for it early in 1761. On May 3 he saw a little
crescent moon about twenty minutes of arc (nearly two-thirds the
apparent diameter of our moon) from the planet. He repeated his
observation several times that night, always seeing the small body, but
not quite certain, despite its crescent shape, whether it might not be a
small star. On the next evening, and again on May 7 and 10, he saw the
small companion apparently somewhat farther from Venus and in a
different position. He found that it could be seen when Venus was not in
the field of view. The following remarks were made respecting these
observations in a French work, 'Dictionnaire de Physique,' published in
1789:--'The year 1761 will be celebrated in astronomy in consequence of
the discovery that was made on May 3 of a satellite circulating round
Venus. We owe it to M. Montaigne, member of the Society of Limoges. M.
Baudouin read before the Academy of Sciences at Paris a very interesting
memoir, in which he gave a determination of the revolution and distance
of the satellite. From the calculations of this expert astronomer we
learn that the new star has a diameter about one-fourth that of Venus,
is distant from Venus almost as far as the moon from our earth, has a
period of nine days seven hours' [much too short, by the way, to be
true, expert though M. Baudouin is said to have been], 'and its
ascending node'--but we need not trouble ourselves about its ascending
node.

Three years later Roedkier, at Copenhagen, March 3 and 4, 1764, saw the
satellite of Venus with a refracting telescope 38 feet long, which
should have been effective if longitude has any virtue. He could not see
the satellite