344 MR WILLIAM SWAN ON THE 
candle; but upon a rapid trial it was found that the corona cast no sensible sha- 
dow, its feeble light being evidently overpowered by the diffuse illumination de- 
rived from the horizon.* I also looked at the corona for an instant with a Nicol’s 
prism, and thought its outline was slightly distorted, so as to appear somewhat 
four-cornered ; but as there was no time to repeat this observation I regard it as 
extremely doubtful. 
I was so much occupied during the totality with more important observations 
that I found no time to look for stars; but Venus was too conspicuous an object 
to escape detection. It appeared shining brilliantly a little to the west of the sun. 
I now prepared to observe the end of the total phase, and I had not the slight- 
est difficulty in finding the point of greatest brightness on the moon’s limb where 
the sun actually emerged. His re-appearance was preceded by something like a 
gradually brightening twilight ; and the red prominences had vanished, before 
the formation of Baily’s beads announced the end of the totality. The beads 
were not now so numerousas at the moment of total obscuration, but their 
appearance was otherwise the same. 
The end of the totality was observed at 3° 59" 8°1 Goteborg mean time, mak- 
ing its duration 3" 155, and the eclipse ended at 4" 57" 57°8; but by that time 
the clouds had become so much thicker as to impair the definition of the sun’s 
limb, which rendered it difficult to observe the end of the eclipse with accuracy. 
The observations of the different phases of the eclipse, along with Lieutenant 
PrrTERssON’s observations, which he has kindly placed at my disposal, will be 
found at p. 346. 
After the totality, the appearance of the sky was greatly altered. Its warm 
tint before the commencement of the eclipse had given place to a cold gray; and 
the cumulous clouds in the horizon had changed to stratous clouds, which now 
overspread the whole of the sky. At about 4"55™ a large halo formed round 
the sun, and everything indicated a great change in the meteorological condi- 
tions of the atmosphere. The weather gradually became more gloomy, and there 
was heavy rain in the evening. 
The observations of temperature contained in Table V., (p. 346), were made by 
means of two small thermometers by Apiz. Their scales are trustworthy; and on 
comparison with Mr Apix’s standard thermometer, were found correct to the 10th 
of a degree. The thermometers were hung on pieces of wood stuck in the ground, 
and were sheltered from the sun by a rock. 
Neither Mr Lane nor myself had any opportunity of witnessing the effects of 
the eclipse on the lower animals; as there were no cattle or birds on the hill 
near our station. 
* If this experiment be ever repeated, it should be performed in an apartment, or by means of 
a box adapted to exclude the general light of the atmosphere. The candle should be carefully 
preserved in order to compare its light with that of the moon. 

