RECORDS OF MEETINGS. 709 



every kind of assistance from Capt. Henry Mowatt, of the Albany, 

 which it was in his power to give."] 



I pass over these further details of the account which are mainly of 

 interest to professional astronomers, but I should read this early 

 account of the phenomenon which has been referred to since 1836 as 

 "Baily's Beads," after the English Astronomer who described their 

 appearance at the total eclipse of that year. 



Professor Williams after recording his micrometric observations of 

 the diminishing width of the solar crescent, continues thus : 



" Immediately after the last observation, the sun's limb became so 

 small as to appear like a circular thread, or rather like a very fine horn. 

 Both the ends lost their acuteness, and seemed to break off in the form 

 of small drops or stars ; some of which were round, and others of an 

 oblong figure. They would separate to a small distance : Some would 

 appear to run together again, and others diminish until they wholly 

 disappeared. Finding it very difficult to measure the lucid part any 

 longer, I observed again in the larger telescope, looking out for the 

 total immersion. 



" After viewing the sun's limb about a minute, I found almost the 

 whole of it thus broken or separated into drops, a small part only in 

 the middle remaining connected. Plate I, Figure VII. This appear- 

 ance remained about a minute, when one of my assistants, who was 

 looking at the sun with his naked eye, observed that the light was 

 increasing." 



He then resumed his proper task of making measures of the width 

 of the increasing crescent until the end of the ecHpse. 



Other phenomena observed are as follows : 



" From the beginning of the eclipse unto the time of the greatest 

 obscuration, the colour and appearance of the sky was gradually 

 changing from an azure blue to a more dark or dusky colour, until it 

 bore the appearance and gloom of night." 



" The degree of darkness was greater than was to be expected, con- 

 sidering the sun was not wholly obscured. Venus appeared in the 

 west ; Jupiter was seen near the sun ; Lucida near the zenith, and 

 Aridef in the north-east near the horizon, appeared very bright." 



[There seems to be some mistake here, both the stars mentioned 

 were in the north-east, while the star near the zenith was Arcturus, 

 "Bonus dormitat Homerus," as the learned professor himself might 

 have said.] 



" Several others of the fixt stars were also seen whose situations were 

 not particularly noted. Objects at a small distance appeared confused, 

 and we were obliged to make use of candles to count our clock. But 



