25C THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Sept. 



We are not aware to what point ot investigation these several 

 objects have been brought during the past mouth by our Ameri- 

 can scientific brethren, or by the two or three Canadian observers 

 who have been enabled by the liberality of the Dominion 

 Government to witness and record, in a more favorable locality, 

 those interesting phenomena which may justly be deemed 

 physical and astronomical, apart from those which may be 

 termed photographic, which, indeed, are only of a secondary 

 and less important character. 



The recent investigations of Huggins and Lockyer on the 

 suu's envelope, show that it is not necessary that an PJclipse 

 should take place for the observation of these peculiar and 

 hitherto mysterious prominences, the spiral form or rotary motion 

 of which remind us of those similar forms of nebulae, which 

 Lord Ross has so well delineated from actual observation in his 

 six-feet reflector. 



x\s far b.ick as the Eclipse which occurred on the 24th June, 

 1778, and was observed at sea by the Spanish Admiral 

 Don Antonio UUoa, these prominences were seen, and by him 

 described as pos.-sessing rotary motion. 



The observations here recorded were carried out at the Mag- 

 netic and Meteorological Observatory at this place, (Montreal,) 

 latitude 45*^31' N., and longitude 4 houi's 54 m. 17 sec. West of 

 Greenwich, and 182 feet above the mean sea level. Mr. Black 

 kindly consented to act as assistant and time-keeper, an office 

 he very faithfully and vigilantly fulfilled. Mr. Balch, one 

 of the students in Arts, received some instructions, which he 

 carried out at Tadousac, while on a visit to that place. 



The Observatory possesses no telescope which could be used 

 with advantage: a 42 in. DoUond, 3 in. aperture, with a power of 

 40, was the only one which was available. A small comet-seeker, 

 of about the same power, possessing a large field, was also brought 

 into requisition. The screen glasses used in both cases during 

 the whole time were red. 



The first contact took place at 5 hours 7 min. 41.5 sec, Mon- 

 treal mean time. The position at tlie telescope was taken at 

 5 o'clock, and my assistant was very exact, and marked well the 

 calls and signals previously fixed upon. There was a slight agita- 

 tion of the sun's limbs a second or two before the first contact 

 occurred : it seemed as though the edge of the sun became 

 suddenly lighted up as it were with rose-coloured prominences, 



