1919] Williams,— George Golding Kennedy 29 
woolly bases, a few Dipsaceous looking plants and a yellow composite 
and very small Leguminosae, a slender Hieracium with conduplicate 
recurved leaves and a purple Cuscuta on a gorse and a small bit of 
minute moss in patches over the ground. First contact at 11:46 not 
visible for rolling clouds which coming from the westward had been 
threatening for an hour but the sky was very blue and clear at 11:56 
when the eclipse was well on. 
“What an hour of hopes and fears! At 12:30 the sun was in bright 
blue sky though all about lie dark clouds. "Three beautiful balloons, 
one a real black pearl, have gone up from near the citadel and a big 
elephant of another is fast by a cord though floating in the air. 
“Ten minutes before the eclipse rain begins to fall and we all hasten 
to protect instruments by umbrellas. At six minutes before the 
clouds are breaking and at one minute before the sun is again in blue 
sky. We watch with eager happy eyes. The shadow sweeps across — 
the sun is a pale corona around a black disk — the darkness not so 
intense as in Virginia and the clouds at the horizon reflect the sunlight, 
making a beautiful spectacle. Even just before the totality when the 
clouds cleared away, one remained under and close to the sun and was 
a beautiful prism in color and in light. The length of the eclipse too 
seemed very great and I thought, “ What if it should not end?" No 
such idea came to me in 1900. 
“ There was a purple color in the landscape rather than the iron gray 
of 1900." 
In passing through Paris on the way to Burgos Dr. Kennedy visited 
the Jardin des Plantes. It is interesting to read in the journal, “Saw 
the old and much supported acacia planted there in 1636, and then 
to the beautiful green hill under the Cedar of Lebanon, planted 1735, 
where the cool shade delighted me. 
“The two forty foot palms set out in the warm sun to rejoice, like 
two centenarians, gave me a real thrill as if I had seen the Grand 
Monarque himself. The card showed that they were: ` 
Chamaerops Humilis 
Donné à Louis XIV par Charles III, margrave de 
Bade Dourbach 
“The small and feeble heads on the tall trunks were held by braces 
joined to four iron rods from the tub in which they were planted. 
Long may they enjoy the summer sun of the garden!" 
Here it may be well to quote an interesting account in the 1903 
