18 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. vii. 



" matter in the sun's neighbourhood — matter revealing itself in 

 ^' total eclipses, by|phenomenaof emission, absorption, and polari- 

 '•' zation. But the discussion of the facts leads us yet further. 

 " Besides the cosmical matter independent of the sun, which 

 " must exist in the neighbourhood of that orb, the observations 

 " demonstrate the existence of an atmosphere of excessive rarity, 

 '' mainly composed of hydrogen, extending far beyond the chro- 

 '' matosphere and protruberances, and fed from the very matter 

 " of these — matter erupted with great violence, as we perceive 

 '' every day. The rarity of this atmosphere, at a certain distance 

 '•' from the chromatosphere, must be excessive ; so that its exist- 

 '' ence is not in disngreement with the passage of certain comets 

 '•' near the sun." 



Although Bespighi was only able to detect this coronal 

 atmosjyhere, which he and Janssen were the first fully to make 

 out, at a distance of 7' or 8' {ahoiit two hundred thousand miles) 

 from the Sun's disc, both Capt. Maclear and Capt. Tupman 

 nevertheless succeeded in tracing it spectroscopically as well as 

 by polariscopic means, as far as 45' {iiearhj a million and a 

 quarter miles) ; a distance from the Sun which is probably still 

 very far within its true limits. 



One more point of interest yet remains, and that is the evi- 

 dence of the polariscope. A few words will suffice. During the 

 Eclipse of the preceding year, Mr. Eaynard and Mr. Pierce found 

 the coronal atmosphere generally to be polarized radially. And 

 this again was the case in Capt. Tupman's observations during the 

 late Eclipse, when, as has just been said, he succeeded in detect- 

 ing this peculiar state of the light, at a distance of over a million 

 and a quarter miles from the margin of the Sun; showing that 

 the Corona and Halo in all probability reflect solar light, as well 

 as emit light of their own, and involving as a consequence the 

 presence o^ matter in a region so remote from the Sun itself, 



A word as to the labours of the Photographers will conclude 

 these remarks. 



It is gratifying to be able to say that, in spite of the brief 

 duration of totality, seventeen good negatives were obtained, 

 somewhat inferior, however, as showing the coronal extension, 

 to those of Mr. Brother's Syracuse pictures of the preceding 

 year, yet nevertheless, of great interest and value. Eight were 

 taken at Bekul, three at Avenashi and six at Jaffna. Mr. Holi- 

 day in addition to these made some useful hand drawings also of 

 the passing phenomena of the Eclipse. 



