Solar Eclipse. 297 



spots of light, of various extent and brilliancy, sometimes 

 during former eclipses, observed within the moon's disc. The 

 appearances in question, however, seem so little different from 

 those now discussed, that they may be considered under the 

 same head, a deviation from the order of time which it was 

 proposed to follow, being the only inconvenience attending this 

 arrangement. 



At 2h. 51' 24", in the present eclipse, one of these luminous 

 spots was observed. Its position was considerably within the 

 margin of the limb, and distant from the eastern cusp, about 

 ;^- of that portion of the moon's circumference then visible on 

 the solar disc. It remained perfectly distinct for nearly 1-| 

 minutes, exhibiting with little variation in size, one uniform 

 appearance of a large irregular macula of reddish light, and 

 when brightest, equal in splendour to a star of the 4th or 5th 

 magnitude. The outline on the upper and lower sides, was 

 well defined with deep angular curvatures, especially in the 

 former. From the point of apparent intersection of the two peri- 

 pheries, in the moon's eastern limb, a stream of paler light could 

 be traced in a direction nearly parallel to the circumference, till 

 it joined this spot. From its opposite side, a similar stream, but 

 of still fainter colour, extended almost in a line with the point of 

 contact in the western limb, to about one fourth the distance 

 between them. (See Fig. 5. Plate III.) 



Appearances similar to the above, not unfrequently occur, 

 in the accounts of preceding eclipses. Thus, M'Laurin, in 

 describing the one of 1737, states, that "before the annulus was 

 complete, a remarkable point or speck of pale light appeared 

 near the middle of the part of the moon's circumference that 

 was not yet come upon the disc of the sun : and a gleam of light, 

 more faint than that point, seemed to extend from it to each horn." 

 He adds, " I did not mark the precise time, when I first per- 

 ceived it, but am satisfied it could hardly be less than ^ of a 

 minute before the annular appearance began*". In that of 1748, 

 in like manner there was seen by Short, "about the middle of 



* Phil. Trans, vol. Ix, p. 181. 



