29th.—I paid the smith. He received to-day the plates for the forty-foot tube. Above half of them are bad, but he thinks there will be as many good among them as will be wanted, and I believe he intends to keep the rest till they return. Paid the gardener for four days which he worked with the smith. I registered sweeps to-day. By way of memorandum I will set down in this book in what manner I proceed.
I began some time ago with the last sweep which is booked in the old register (Flamsteed's time and P. D.), viz., 571, and at different times I booked 570, 569, 568, 567, 566, 565. To-day I booked 564; 563 is marked not to be registered; 560 and 561 I was obliged to pass over on account of some difficulty. The rest of the day I wrote in Flamsteed's Catalogue. The storm continued all the day, but now, 8 o'clock, it turns to a gentle rain.
30th.—I wound up the sidereal timepiece, Field's and Alexander's clocks, and made covers for the new and old registers.
31st.—I booked 558, 557, and 554; 556, 555, I was obliged to leave out on account of some difficulty.
Mem.—I find I cannot go on fast enough with the registering of sweeps to be serviceable to the Catalogue of Nebulæ. Therefore I will begin immediately to recalculate them, and hope to finish them before they return. Besides, I think the consequences of registering the sweeps backwards will be bad.
August 1.—I have counted one hundred nebulæ to-day, and this evening I saw an object which I believe will prove to-morrow night to be a comet.
2nd.—To-day I calculated 150 nebulæ. I fear it will not be clear to-night. It has been raining throughout the whole day, but seems now to clear up a little.
1 o'clock.—The object of last night is a comet.
3rd. I did not go to rest till I had wrote to Dr. Blagden