130 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [June 



is being put in its place, by no means explains all the facts of the 

 case. At the same time, it is not easy to reconcile Capt. Ashe's 

 hypothesis with the laws of physics and chemistry. Were the 

 spots caused by melting asteroids floating on the chromosphere, 

 these incandescent masses of metal would give continuous spectra, 

 whereas the spots give the very reverse ; but one cannot conceive 

 how a mass of heavy metal could float for days and months upon 

 an ocean of light hydrogen, while undergoing fusion and then 

 volatilization ; nor in a sea of burning hydrogen would there 

 probably be formed the dross which the Captain supposes the 

 penumbra of the spot to be. For all that, the correspondence 

 between the zone to which spots are confined and that within 

 which asteroids would fall upon the sun's surface, and the fact 

 that there is a maximum and minimum period in the occurrence 

 of sun-spots, give strong probability to the supposition that there 

 is a relation between sun-spots and intra-mercurial asteroids. 



Lockyer and Janssen's discovery has greatly detracted from 

 the interest which attends a total eclipse, as the most remark- 

 able phenomena of the eclipse — the chromosphere and its pro- 

 tuberances — may be observed at any time. This may be the 

 reason why no European party crossed the Atlantic to witness 

 the eclipse of the 7th of August last. A further reason, doubtless, 

 was, that it was known it would be so carefully observed by 

 American astronomers as to make any assistance from them almost 

 superfluous. It is, nevertheless, to be regretted that some 

 European astronomers, who witnessed the eclipses of 1842, 1860, 

 and 18G8, did not bring their experience to the observation of the 

 last. The scientific results, however, of the eclipse have been 

 by no means insignificant. All the parties of observation have 

 not yet published their reports; but from such as have appeared, 

 the following summary is gathered : 



The eclipse was total at sunrise in Siberia; it crossed the north 

 Pacific a little south of Behring Straits, and thence pursued a 

 south-east course across the continent, terminating at sun-set off 

 the coast of North Carolina. It was observed by two United 

 States Government parties in the Pacific, whose reports have not 

 yet been published ; by Mr. Gilman, of New York, at Sioux city, 

 on the Missouri ; by Capt. Ashe, at Jefferson City, Iowa ; at 

 Des Moines, about fifty miles south-east of Jefferson, by Dr. 

 Curtis, of the U.S. Army Medical Museum, and a party from 

 the U.S. Naval Observatory ; as well as by Prof. Rogers, and 



