112 proceedings: phil,osophicaIv society 



puting, as formerly. Variations of the sky which might occur and spoil 

 the result are avoided. By comparing results computed by the new- 

 method and by the old method (of six spectrobolometric observations 

 distributed over several hours), it is found that the deviations between 

 the two seldom exceed one per cent and almost never exceed two per 

 cent. When such large deviations are found it is almost invariably 

 seen that the transparency of the atmosphere was changing during the 

 day in question so that the result by the old method was either too 

 high or too low according as the sky was clearing or growing less clear. 

 Thus the new method appears to be at least as accurate as the old and 

 appears to av^oid the errors which oftentimes occur when changes of 

 transparency take place. Furthermore, the new method is applicable 

 on any day in which a clear space of 30° diameter exists around the sun, 

 while the old method requires uniform sky and total cloudlessness, 

 for a period of about three hours, either immediately after sunrise or 

 immediately before sunset. 



The paper was discussed by Messrs. Bauer and Humphreys. 



L. A. Bauer: The total solar eclipse at Cape Palmas, Liberia, May 

 29, 1919. 



The station at Cape Palmas, Liberia, was one of five principal sta- 

 tions at which magnetic and allied observations were carried out by the 

 Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of 

 Washington, in connection with the solar eclipse of May 29, 191 9. Two 

 of these stations, Sobral, Brazil, in charge of Mr. D. M. Wise, assisted 

 by Mr. A. Thomson, and Cape Palmas, Liberia, in the author's charge, 

 who was assisted by Mr. H. F. Johnston, were inside the belt of totality. 

 A third station, at Huancayao, Peru, north of the totality belt, was in 

 charge of Dr. H. M. W. Edmonds; the fourth station south of the belt of 

 totality, at Puerto Deseado, Argentina, was in charge of Mr. A. Ster- 

 ling; and the fifth, about 100 miles north of the belt of totality, at 

 Campo, Cameroun, was in charge of Mr. Frederick Brown. Ob- 

 servations were also made at a secondary station, Washington, by Mr. 

 C. R. DUVALL. 



In addition to these stations, special magnetic observations were 

 made at the Department's magnetic observatory at Watheroo, Western 

 Australia, and at observatories all over the globe, both inside and out- 

 side of the region of visibility of the eclipse. Reports have already been 

 received from many of these foreign observatories. The reports indicate 

 that the magnetic conditions were ideal for the detection of a possible 

 magnetic effect of the order to be expected from the Department's 

 previous eclipse magnetic observations. As soon as the various ob- 

 servations have been examined and discussed, a paper will be pre- 

 sented before the Society upon the results obtained. 



The prime object of the present paper was to give a general account 

 of the expedition to Cape Palmas, Liberia, to relate the phenomena 



