52 The Great Solar Eclipse [Jan. 



interest. Expeditions were sent half-way across the glohe, from 

 England, France, and Germany, and, fitted with all the necessary 

 apparatus, were stationed at diflerent points along the line of totality, 

 from Aden, on the Eed Sea, to Wah-Tonne, in the Malay peninsula. 

 Two expeditions were sent from England, one under the auspices 

 of the Koyal Society, under Lieut. Herschel, who was to devote 

 himself principally to spectrum observations of the corona and red 

 prominences; the other, from the Eoyal Astronomical Society, 

 under the charge of Major Tennant. The Eoyal Society spent 

 nearly dOOl. for instruments for the expedition ; and in case had 

 weather should interfere with the observations at the principal 

 stations, four hand-spectrum telescopes, similar to those devised by 

 Mr. Huggins for observations of meteors, were also sent out to be 

 distributed to other observers along the central line of the eclipse. 

 The French also sent out two expeditions, one under the charge of 

 M. Janssen, and the other under M. Stephan. Two Prussian 

 expeditions were sent out, and it was also expected that Mr. Pogson, 

 of the Madras Observatory, would also start with a party of 

 observers to some spot along the central line. 



Major Tennant, some considerable time beforehand, computed 

 for the whole breadth of the Indian peninsula the central line and 

 the limits of totahty. The shadow is about 143 miles broad, and 

 the line of totahty would pass over Kolapoor, Belgaum, Kurnoul, 

 Sikunderabad, Ongole, Guntoor, Masulipatam, Eajah IMandri, the 

 whole course of the Kistna, its Delta, and that of the Godaveri, and 

 parts of the valleys of the Bhuna and Toongabruda. Leaving 

 India proper, the shadow would cross the Bay of Bengal, the north 

 Andaman island, and then pass through the IMergui Archipelago 

 and the province of Tenasserim, across the Malay peninsula to the 

 island of Borneo, which it would reach between our colony of 

 Labuan and the Sarawak country. " Of this coiurse," Major Tennant 

 considered "the west coast of India woidd be experiencing the 

 south-west monsoon. The same state of things exists at the 

 Andaman Islands, and on the British side of the JMalay peninsula. 

 The other side is not easily attainable, and I am not aware that 

 there would be any inducement to go to Borneo. The Eastern 

 part of the track thi-ough India affords, I believe, every chance of 

 fine weather, and I think observers would do well to select that 

 part." 



In accordance with these suggestions, the North German 

 Expedition stationed themselves at Aden ; Lieut. Herschel went to 

 Belgaum; another Enghsh party, under Captain Haig, who had 

 been supplied with one of the hand-spectroscopes, was stationed 

 at Beejapoor ; whilst the other English expedition under Major 

 Tennant went to Guntoor, at which station the French observers 

 under M. Janssen, who represented tlie Academie des Sciences 



