388 Royal Astronomical Society. 
vice to the contrary by an American observer ; and the power of the 
eye-glass was about 40. When the total obscuration took place, 
the coloured glass was removed. 
I at first looked out very narrowly for the black lines which were 
seen in the annular eclipse of 1836, as they would probably precede 
the string of beads. ‘These lines however did not make their ap- 
pearance, or at least they were not seen by me. But the beads 
were distinctly visible; and on their first appearance I had noted 
down on paper the time of my chronometer, and was in the act of 
counting the seconds in order to ascertain the time of their duration, 
when I was astounded by a tremendous burst of applause from the 
streets below, and at the same moment was electrified at the sight of 
one of the most brilliant and splendid phenomena that can well be 
imagined; for at that instant the dark body of the moon was sud- 
denly surrounded with a corona, or kind of bright glory, similar in 
shape and relative magnitude to that which painters draw round the 
heads of saints, and which by the French is designated an auréole. 
Pavia contains many thousand inhabitants, the major part of whom 
were at this early hour walking about the streets and squares, or 
looking out of windows, in order to witness this long-talked-of phee- 
nomenon; and when the total obscuration took place, which was 
instantaneous, there was an universal shout from every observer, which 
«« made the welkin ring,”’ and, for the moment, withdrew my atten- 
tion from the object with which I was immediately occupied. I had 
indeed anticipated the appearance of a luminous circle round the 
moon during the time of total obscurity ; but I did not expect, from 
any of the accounts of preceding eclipses that I had read, to witness 
so magnificent an exhibition as that which took place. I had ima- 
gined (erroneously as it seems) that the corona, as to its brilliant or 
luminous appearance, would not be greater than that faint crepus- 
cular light which sometimes takes place on a summer’s evening, and 
that it would encircle the moon like a ring. I was therefore some- 
what surprised and astonished at the splendid scene which now so 
suddenly burst upon my view. It riveted my attention so effectually 
that I quite lost sight of the string of beads, which however were not 
completely closed when this phenomenon first appeared. I appre- 
hend that only a few seconds of time (perhaps 3 or 4) were wanting 
to complete the perfect obscuration of the sun; but I cannot speak 
on this point with much certainty. 
I had previously noted down some of the principal objects to which 
I was desirous of directing my attention during the time of total ob- 
scuration, and which seem to have given rise to much discussion on 
former occasions. ‘These, as far as the corona is concerned, had re- 
ference principally to its colour, its lustre or paleness, its magnitude 
and extent, its state of motion or repose, and its encircling the sun or 
the moon as its centre: then, as to the moon, whether any holes were 
discernible, or any coruscations of light on the dark side: next, as 
to the amount of darkness in the atmosphere, the change of colour 
in surrounding objects, and some other points not requisite here to 
enumerate further. The time, however, for making accurate obser- 
