‘ 
274 On the Solar Eclipse of September 7, 1820. 
In a series of experiments lately made on vegetable colours, I 
discovered the remarkable fact, that subacetate of lead, nitrate 
and sulphate of copper, nitromuriate of platinum, nitromuriate of 
gold, &c. turned syrup of violets, tincture of cabbage, columbine, 
blue byacinth, &c. green; and that when these colours are even 
reddened by acetic or citric or carbonic acid, &c. the metallic so- 
lutions restore the original blue colour.. Boracic acid reddens 
the yellow colour obtained from Reseda lut., and so do the me- 
tallic solutions. 
It seems evident, therefore, that we have yet to learn the in- 
variable characteristics of alkalis and acids. We may attempt 
to cover our ignorance by a free use of the term anomaly, but 
I do hold that in the universe of God there is no such thing as 
anomaly. 
LXIII. On the Solar Eclipse of the 7th September 1820; being 
a Comparison of Calculations with some of the Observations 
made in Great Britain and on the Continent. By Mr. 
GrorGE INNEs. 
To Dr. Tilloch. 
Sir, — Is order to compare the observed with the computed 
times of the phenomena of the late solar eclipse, I have se- 
lected several of the observations which have appeared in your 
Magazine, and in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, and made 
the necessary calculations for the several places by the Tables of 
Delambre and Burckhardt. From these calculations it appears 
that the tables give the time of conjunction too early, and the 
moon’s apparent semidiameter too great; as a less semidiameter 
would have made the errors of the tables, as deduced from the 
several observations, more uniform for the beginning and end. 
The results obtained from the observations of the beginning 
and end at Gosport, and of the end at Padua, differ much from 
the rest. Perhaps some error has been committed in allowing for 
the errors of the clocks, or in transcribing. !n calculating the 
time of the end for Plymouth, I have used the longitude given 
with the observation; but I observe that it is greater than any 
of those given in the Requisite Tables, as the result of accurate 
observations, for eight places in Plymouth. “ 
It is not stated whether the instants of the last five observa- 
tions are given in mean or apparent time, but from the calcula- _ 
tions it would appear that they are given in mean time. 
In making the calculations it will be found, that an error of 
1” in the moon’s semidiameter gives an error of about 2”,98, and 
2",64 
