4 REPORT—1848. 
equipped four stations to the north and three to the south of Greenwich, but the 
cloudy state of the weather rendered the preparations useless. 
In communication with the Astronomer Royal of Great Britain, the astronomers 
of Italy made similar preparations at Padua, near the southern limit, but the wea- 
ther was equally unpropitious. [See Astron. Soc. Annual Report, 1848; Notices, 
vol. viii. p. 79.] 
In other parts of the world, however, several observations were made. .The chief 
results, bearing on the physical inquiries referred to, are as follows :— 
1. At Orleans (under the direction of the Bureau des Longitudes), MM. Mauvais 
and Goujon observed, as the cusps approached the ends extended more rapidly, but 
unequably and with a wriggling motion. Then one or two luminous points (beads) 
detached but melted into one again. Just before the completion of the annulus 
many such appeared, along the limb between the cusps, more or less extended but 
all very thin: they finally united. The ring did not exceed a few seconds in breadth. 
The dark intervals did not draw out into threads, but decreased both in length and 
thickness. (This is difficult to understand.) Upon the whole, they observe, the 
appearances were merely those of irregularities in the moon’s edge, and not such as 
to require any supposition of irradiation or diffraction to account for them. ([Ast. 
Soc. Notices, viii. 13.] 
2. M. Schaub at Cilly in Styria observed the eclipse with a telescope having a 
power of 40 and a red glass, and saw the annulus formed without any irregularity. 
He then applied a power of 60 and a compound glass of complementary colours, 
giving a white image, and noticed the lunar mountains projected on the sun’s disc; 
the limb undulated, but continued circular up to the second contact, which was 
a contact with the tops of the mountains first, leaving bright intervals, but without 
distortion. ([Ibid. p. 13.] 
3. Capt. Jacob, at Bombay, with a 33 feet Dollond, power 40, saw just before 
the formation of the annulus a faint light outside the cusp. At the south cusp @ 
break as if from a projection on the moon’s limb, which increased to about 1’ in 
breadth, attaching the limbs; then elongated and suddenly broke, the ends being 
jagged. At the termination of the annulus a portion of 30° on the limb was sud- 
denly occupied by beads, too many to count, but which lasted only two seconds. 
No light was seen about the moon off the sun. [Ibid. p. 27.] 
4. Major Lysaght, at Hingolee, with 34 Dollond, power 25, and glass giving a 
greenish-yellow image, saw near contact the limb undulating, the edge “‘ hillocky,”’ 
which appearance subsided, till just at contact a dark band from one “ hillock ” 
connected the limbs, followed by another: the mode of its disappearance was not 
noticed. As the ring increased in breadth the limb of the moon became “ pinnacled,”’ 
and a blaze of light appeared on it. (This part of the description is very obscure.) 
Then the limb became smooth again, except one hillock, which elongated and 
formed a connecting band, as at first, and thén broke in two. (This circumstance 
seems extraordinary, but is not further explained.) [Ibid. p. 130.] 
5. Dr. Forster, at Bruges (in a letter to Prof. Powell), states that he observed a 
very remarkable luminous arc or ridge of light, differently coloured from the rest of 
the sun, extending along and immediately on the limb of the moon between the 
cusps. It lasted nearly five minutes. He considers it as unlike any appearance 
described before, and remarks that it appeared as if produced by a lunar atmosphere 
refracting the light of the sun; but the rapid transit of flying clouds prevented any 
very accurate observations. It was seen with a telescope of low power. Perhaps 
this was the same with the blaze of light described by Major Lysaght. 
On those Variations of the Force and the Direction of the Terrestrial Mag- 
netism which seem to depend on the Aurora Borealis. By Dr. StrsEsTROM. 
The author stated, from observations made in Finmarken, at about 70° north 
latitude, that in the course of an aurora borealis there are two magnetical periods 
to be discerned, in both of which the disturbances are going on in a quite opposite 
way, so as to increase and decrease successively the different magnetical elements. 
He stated also that the simultaneous variations of these elements, with few excep- 
