Mr. Baily on the Total Solar Eclipse of July 8,1842. 387 
through Turin, Asti, and Alessandria, and arrived at Pavia about 
noon on July 7th. 
As this place was directly on the central line of the moon’s sha- 
dow, I resolved at once to make it my head-quarters. I had intended 
to apply-to the director of the university there, for the use of a con- 
venient place where I might observe the eclipse ; but I was agreeably 
anticipated in this respect by a visit from one of the Professors, 
who having heard of my arrival and my object, immediately and 
obligingly came to offer me the use of any one of the apartments in 
the university that might be considered most adapted for my pur- 
pose. On accompanying him to the university with this object, I 
selected one of the upper rooms of the building, which was admirably 
adapted for making the observations that I had in view. He then 
very kindly expressed his readiness to furnish me with any instru- 
ments at the university that I might require for my use. But I had 
taken with me from London the same 34-feet telescope by Dollond 
that I had formerly used in the annular eclipse of May 15, 1836, as 
already described in the tenth volume of the Memoirs of this Society ; 
and I therefore informed him that all I wanted was to be left alone du- 
ring the whole time of the eclipse, being fully persuaded that nothing 
is so injurious to the making of accurate observations as the intru- 
sion of unnecessary company. Acting upon this hint, he imme- 
diately took the key from the outside of the door and placed it in 
the inside, and told me that I might lock myself in: but there was 
no occasion for this precaution, for although I heard numerous foot- 
steps pass the door, in their way to an adjoining apartment, which 
was also used as an observatory on this occasion, no one attempted 
to enter the room in which I was located. 
At four o’clock in the morning of the eventful day I went to the 
university, in order to prepare for the observation; and at that 
early hour I found many of the students and official persons walking 
about. At sunrise a thin stratum of clouds was seen in the east 
near the horizon, but the sun soon got above this obstruction, and 
the remainder of the day was beautifully clear and serene; not a 
cloud was to be seen in any part of the heavens, visible from my 
window, during the whole time of the eclipse. It was as fine a day 
as that which I had fortunately witnessed in Scotland, at the annular 
eclipse of 1836. 
I had a very good observation of the commencement and the end 
of the eclipse; but I did not pay any great attention to these se- 
condary objects, and as my chronometer was not adjusted to correct 
mean time, these observations can be of no use, except as indicating 
the duration of the eclipse, which, according to my reckoning, was 
14 56™ 39°6 mean time. 
As the moon advanced towards her central conjunction with the 
sun, I watched very carefully and with much anxiety the approach 
of the border of the moon towards the still illuminated portion of 
the sun, which was now rapidly assuming a fine crescent shape, the 
precursor of total obscuration. -I used a red coloured glass, in order 
to observe the phenomenon, notwithstanding the remarks and ad- 
