tvhich will happen on September 7, 1820. 91 



near the north pole *, will proceed between the Shetland islands 

 and the coast of Norway down the north sea, and enter the con- 

 tinent of Europe on the coast of Westphalia, about half way be- 

 tween the Ems and the Weser. It will thence proceed, nearly in 

 a straight line, across Germany and the Tyrol country, and enter 

 the gulf of Venice about midway between Trieste and Venice. 

 Traversing that gulf it will cross the heel of Italy; and, after 

 skirting the coast of the Morea and Candia, will pass directly 

 over Alexandria in Egypt j and finally leave the earth in Arabia 

 near the Persian gulf. 



If we set off two other lines on the map, parallel to this cen- 

 tral line, one on each side thereof, and each at the distance of 

 about 130 geographical miles from the central line, the interme- 

 diate space between these two boundary lines will nearly f re- 

 present the path of the moon's umbra; and will show all those 

 places where the eclipse will be seen annular, or where the whole 

 body of the moon will appear on the face of the sun. Some un- 

 certainty, however, may exist with respect to those towns which 

 are situated near the borders of the umbra, such as Rotterdam, 

 Aix la Chapelle, Liege, Treves, Freyburg, Parma, Rome, and 

 other places on the one side; and Magdeburg, Leipsic, Ragusa, 

 Athens, and other places on the other side of the central path: 

 since the eclipse may or may not be annular in the neighbour- 

 hood of those towns according to circumstances. Nevertheless, 

 at all those places, and indeed to the whole of Europe and to a 

 great part of Asia and Africa, the eclipse will be visible ; differ- 

 ing only in magnitude according to the situation of the spec- 

 tator. But, in no part will it be annular except at those places 

 which are situated within the limits of the umbra, as above 

 mentioned J. 



Those persons, who happen to be situated on the iveslern 

 border of the umbra, will, at the time of the middle of the eclipse, 

 see the upper limb of the moon in contact with the upper limb 

 of the sun ; and consequently the unobscured portion of the 

 >sun's disc will be seen round the under part of the moon. On 



" It will traverse the supposed polar basin, and tbe north east coast of 

 Greenland, the object of so much laudable curiosity at the present moment: 

 so that if the adventurous navigators to those parts should not have returned 

 before the date of this eclipse, they will probably observe it in those higii 

 latitudes. 



+ It must be evident to those acquainted with the principles of astronomy 

 that the umbra will :iot be exactly of the same width in any two points of its 

 course ; but will be constantly var5'ing. It will not, however, undergo any 

 luaterial alteration in its progress across the continent of Europe. 



X For a general view of the path of the umbra across the continent of 

 JEurope, sec Plate II. 



the 



