1869.] 



of August 18, 1868. 



61 



Fm. fi. 



The colour of the prominences is described as different by each 

 observer. 



IMajor Tennant de- 

 scribes them as white; 

 Captain Branfill, as co- 

 loured ; Captain Haig 

 speaks of them as "red 

 flames ;" Captain Tanner, 

 as rose madder ; Mr. 

 Kero Laxuman, as a red 

 flaming torch, and as red 

 streaked by several dark- 

 ened lines. Governor 

 Hennessy compares one 

 of them to a tower of rose- 

 coloured clouds, " more 

 beautiful than any rose- 

 colour I ever saw ;" ano- 

 ther he describes as a 

 bright blue, Hke a bril- 

 liant sapphne with hght thrown upon it; next to that was the 

 80-called rose-colour, and at the right corner a sparkling ruby tint. 



3. The Phenomena of the Cokona. 



The state of polarization of the light of the corona was the 

 principal phenomenon which was to be observed, and the results 

 are very concordant. 



Lieut. W. M. Campbell, who was stationed at Belgaum with 

 Lieut. Herschel, determined satisfactorily that the light of the 

 corona was polarized in planes passing through the sun's centre. 

 Captain Branfill, who was at Guntoor, made the same observation, 

 and this fact has been further confirmed by the observations made 

 by the French observers. 



The accounts received as to the luminosity of the corona vary. 

 Captains Haig and Tanner say that on the first glimpse of the 

 eclipse the corona appeared so bright that it gave them the 

 momentary impression of its being an annular eclipse ; and Captain 

 Haig further remarks that the light of the red flames was to 

 the naked eye so feeble as to be outshone to extinction by that of 

 the corona. Governor Hennessy, in the Island of Borneo, speaks 

 of the corona as a luminous ring, composed of a multitude of 

 rays quite irregular in length and in direction ; from the upper and 

 lower parts they extended in bands to a distance more than twice 

 the diameter of the sun. Other bands appeared to fall towards 

 one side ; but in this there was no regularity, for bands near them 



