76 



to fuse and bend over, like a half-melted rod of glass. The pro- 

 minences increased very sensibly in height during the progress of 

 the total phase, until at length the hook-shaped one had attained an 

 altitude which I estimated at rather more than 2'. Both had re- 

 markably definite outlines, and their forms were permanent so long 

 as they remained visible ; the only change being, that they increased 

 in height, and became wider at the base, evidently owing to the 

 moon's motion gradually disclosing those parts of them which were 

 nearest to the sun's limb. They were of a full rose-tint, and were 

 distinctly visible to the naked eye by the strong red tinge they 

 imparted to the corona in their neighbourhood. 



The corona cast no sensible shadow. To the naked eye, it appeared 

 slightly tinged with pale purple or lavender colour, which, perhaps, 

 was owing to the contrast of the strong yellow light in the horizon ; 

 for, when viewed through the telescope, it was silvery white. It was 

 distinctly radiated, and shewed no trace of annular structure. The 

 most striking feature it presented was the appearance of brilliant 

 beams of light, which shone out in various directions. They were 

 sharply defined, and brighter than the rest of the corona ; and they 

 were visible to some distance beyond its general outline. The most 

 remarkable of these objects was a mass of light of a tolerably regular 

 conoidal form, with its base towards the sun, and the curvature of its 

 sides somewhat concave outwards, situated 28° 30' to the east of the 

 sun's vertex. 



The first of the following Tables contains the observations, by 

 means of the position micrometer, of the red prominences, and of the 

 only spots visible near the sun's Umb on the day of the eclipse, with 

 the times of observation ; the second, the times of the difi'erent 

 phases of the eclipse as observed by me, and also Lieutenant Petters- 

 son's observations of time, which he has kindly placed at my dis- 

 posal ; and the third, a series of thermometric observations. The 

 latter were made by means of two small thermometers by Adie of 

 Edinburgh, which were suspended in the shade. Their scales, by a 

 recent comparison with his standard thermometer, were found cor- 

 rect to the tenth of a degree. 



