ASTEOXOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 385 



to the eclipse. This point was worthy of their attention, because of 

 its connection with the two eclipses of 1842 and 1860. 



There was an appearance which had been observed in various 

 places, and which he should mention now, not because he had any 

 respect for the accounts of it, but because it had been often referred 

 to. It was known as " Baily's beads." As the totality approached, 

 an appearance was observed resembling bright points interrupted by 

 black spaces. He had looked for this appearance several times, but 

 had never seen it. Probably that was because he looked carefully 

 and with good telescopes, and that he believed they had never been 

 seen except through bad telescopes. His friend, the late Dr. Baily, 

 first observed them. He believed Dr. Baily must have had the mis- 

 fortune to look through a bad telescope. In the year 1842 it was 

 known that there was a total eclipse going on, but people generally 

 did not understand what was to be seen, so little attention, compara- 

 tively, was attracted to it. Two persons only went from England to 

 see it, of whom he (Professor Airy) was one. Well, they saw a 

 total eclipse in its grandeur, and he might say in its horror. No- 

 body who had not seen a total eclipse could conceive what it was. 

 No eclipse approaching to totality gave any idea of what it was when 

 it was total. There w r ere appearances about the eclipse of 1842 for 

 which some of them were not prepared ; but when their telescopes 

 were turned upon the moon, there were appearances for which none 

 of them were prepared. Red flames were seen shooting apparently 

 out of the moon. What could they be ? The astronomers could 

 make nothing of them, partly because they were not prepared to 

 make observations on this point. After discussion, however, they 

 came at last to this conclusion : that there were four flames project- 

 ing apparently from the moon. Similar appearances were found to 

 have been mentioned twice before ; but the whole subject remained 

 in doubt until the eclipse of 1851. 



On this subject he should make some remarks which would apply 

 to the eclipse of 1860. Professor Airy exhibited three drawings, 

 made by himself, of three different periods of totality in the eclipse of 

 1851, in each of which red flames were conspicuous. He described 

 how these appearances diminished gradually on one side and increased 

 in size on the other, and said that this first gave the notion that they 

 were attached to the sun, because, had they belonged to the moon, 

 they would have gone with it from one side to the other without 

 change. But there were so many discrepancies in the different 

 drawings made of these flames as almost entirely to upset all opinions 

 about them. One observer, however, in Russian Poland, in whom he 

 had the greatest confidence, saw them as he (Professor Airy) saw 

 them, and mentioned an additional test, which tended to show that 

 they belonged to the sun. Professor Airy alluded to the theory that 

 these flames were due to what was termed the "interference of 

 light," and explained why, in his opinion, this could not be. After 

 1851 there was the eclipse of 1858, which passed across Brazil, and 

 was observed by some of the Brazilian authorities, and also by the 

 French, who, let it be said, were never behindhand when any scien- 

 tific subject had to be investigated. This eclipse was not seen from 

 0, very favorable situation, but it was very well observed, and one of 

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