862 J. W. Good, Esq., on the 



I refer to the accompanying tables and drawings for mi- 

 nute particulars ; and shall therefore proceed to state, that 

 everything being prepared, I awaited the beginning of the 

 eclipse with much interest and anxiety, lest the state of the 

 sky should deprive me and the three friends who accompa- 

 nied me of a sight which we had so long looked forward to. 



Weather and appearance of Sky. — The day was tolerably 

 fine and warm, and the sun clear, but several cumulous 

 clouds were visible in the horizon, and at intervals several 

 light ones were driven past us by a fresh breeze from the 

 south-west. The horizon, at about half-past two, was pretty 

 clear all round, but about fifteen or ten minutes before the 

 eclipse was calculated to begin, a light haze was perceivable 

 in the north-west. 



First contact, ^c. — The obscuration was observed by chro- 

 nometer to begin at 2^ 58"^ 35^ mean local solar time, and the 

 north-west horizon looked then as it does in summer when a 

 distant storm is approaching. When the sun was obscured 

 about six digits, the horizon in that quarter became visibly 

 darker, and losing its greyish tint, became more of a weak 

 Indian-ink colour ; the arc at the same time having obtained 

 a greater altitude. When the eclipse had attained to within 

 about ten minutes' time of totality, the surrounding country 

 wore a dreary and melancholy appearance from the decrease 

 of light ; the horizon was of a dark and sombre hue, and 

 when only a few minutes was wanting to the totality, the 

 arc had reached the zenith nearly, and increased in darkness 

 gradually towards the centre. From the very beginning of 

 the eclipse, the wind had gradually died away, and during 

 the totality a perfect calm reigned, which, however, as the 

 shadow passed away, gave way to a gradually increasing 

 breeze from the same quarter as before ; and the wind had 

 regained the same direction and velocity at five o'clock, when 

 the eclipse was over, as it had had at three o'clock ; but the 

 sky was more overcast and heavy, the north-west horizon 

 lighter, and the same appearance which had been visible in 

 that quarter was now to be seen to the south-east, in an 

 exactly proportional decreasing series from four o'clock to 

 a quarter past five, when it quite disappeared. 



