1869.] 



of August 18, 1868. 



55 



" When the decisive moment was fast advancing, the sky, 

 hitherto covered with clouds, showed some openings, through 

 which the sun, aheady covered partially by the moon, was to 

 be seen. 



" The sun crescent became smaller and smaller, and the opening 

 in the clouds seemed to increase. 



" The last minutes before the totahty (which began at twenty 

 minutes past six o'clock) went rapidly away. Dr. Fritsche and 

 myself crept into the tents, where we remained, consequently we 

 have seen nothing of the totality. Our work began ; we exposed 

 the first plate five and ten seconds, in order to know what was the 

 proper time. 



" MuLammed, our black servant, brought the first attempt into 

 my tent. I poured the iron develoi^er over the plate, eager to 

 know what was to come. At this moment my hght was ex- 

 tinguished. I called for light, but nobody heard me, as all were 

 about their task. I stretched my right hand out of the tent, 

 holding the dark slide in the left, and happily caught a small oil 

 lamp, which I had previously prepared. And now I saw the 

 image of the sun appearing on the plate. The dark margin of 

 the sun was surrounded by a series of peculiar elevations — the 

 other side showed a strange hook ; the phenomenon being exactly 

 the same in both views. My joy w as great ; but there was no 

 time for enjoyment, I 

 soon received the second, 

 and, after another minute, 

 the third plate. ' The smi 

 is coming forth ! ' ex- 

 claimed Dr. Zenker. The 

 totality was over. All 

 seemed to have been done 

 in a moment. 



Fig. 2. 



" When I developed the 

 second plate I perceivci^ 

 only very weak traces of 

 an image. The clouds had 

 veiled the sun at the very 

 moment of the exposures. 

 The third plate gave two 

 brilliant views, with pro- 

 tuberances at the lower 

 margin. Glad to have secured s :> much, we washed, fixed, and var- 

 nished the plates, and immediately took some copies on glass, which 

 were to be dispatched to Europe separately," 



Fig, 2 is copied from these photographs. 



The protuberances a, h, and c were given on the first plates, and 



