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Account of Observations on the Solar Eclipse of July 28, 

 1851, made at Sebastople. By Edward Sang, Esq., 

 F.R.S.S.A., Professor of Civil and Mechanical Engineer- 

 ing, Constantinople. Communicated by the Royal Scot- 

 tish Society of Arts.* 



While engaged in preparing to observe the eclipse of the 

 sun from Constantinople, I received a copy of a letter, of 

 date June 5th, addressed by the Astronomer Royal to Mr 

 Waddington, proposing a trip across the Black Sea, and ac- 

 companied by copies of the Suggestions to Astronomers, pre- 

 pared by the Committee of the British Association, which 

 w^as forwarded to me by His Excellency Sir Stratford Can- 

 ning. Subsequently, I have learned that this was at the in- 

 stance of the Secretary of the Royal Scottish Society of 

 Arts, and, accordingly, to that Society I make my report. 



The idea of a journey into Russia had previously crossed 

 my thoughts, and, for various reasons, had been dropped ; 

 but on learning that my observation of the phenomena of 

 the total eclipse might be of the least service, and that no 

 one had been deputed from England to this quarter of the 

 world, I laid aside all my preparations here, and resolved on 

 a journey to the region of total shadow. 



Unfortunately, His Excellency's note of date July 12th 

 only reached me on the 15th, and the very next was the sailing 

 day of the Odessa steamer ; it was utterly impossible to com- 

 plete my arrangements in time ; there would be no other op- 

 portunity by steam until the 26th, and thus our only chance 

 of reaching the Crimea previously to the eclipse, was by a 

 sailing vessel ; this chance, too, with the prevailing north 

 winds, and the high state of the barometer, was a very small 

 one. So long, however, as a possibility of success remained, 

 I was determined not to abandon the enterprise. With a 

 change of wind we might still reach Kertche or Theodosia, 

 and make the observations from the quarantine grounds. I 



* Read before the Society, 24th November 1851. 



