398 Royal Astronomical Society. 
plause. Immediately after the restoration of the sun, the whole 
crowd dispersed, and nobody seemed to regard with the smallest 
interest the phases of decrease of the eclipse. 
The meteorological circumstances of the atmosphere were evi- 
dently much affected by the concealment of the sun. The air after 
the totality appeared transparent (as it usually does when the 
ground is cold); and there rested upon or near to the flanks of the 
mountains a series of stratified or cumulo-stratified cloud, at an ele- 
vation of less than 2000 feet; with a lower surface very sharply 
defined and (as far as I could judge) most truly horizontal through 
the whole extent to which I could see them; and with aless regular 
upper surface: the depth of these clouds could not be more than 
200 or 300 feet. They had not the smallest resemblance to the ill- 
defined fog-clouds which hang about the mountains at all elevations 
in rainy weather; nor to any other clouds that I have seen during 
the day in these countries: I think that I have seen clouds in the 
evening which resembled them more nearly than any others. 
After the termination of the eclipse the day became very hot, 
and the aspect of the country became very similar to that which it 
usually presents at this season of the year. 
It was not till some hours after my return to Turin that I found 
that MM. Plana and Forbes had not seen the moon at all during 
the totality. The region in which the sun and moon ought to have 
been seen was covered with an opake cloud: I have little doubt 
that it was the same cloud which I, from the Superga, saw just above 
the moon (the azimuths of Turin and the moon being almost ex- 
actly opposed), and to which I was inclined to attribute some of the 
peculiar phenomena of the eclipse. 
I fear that I have greatly trespassed upon the time of the Royal 
Astronomical Society; and I can offer only this apology, that in 
describing a phenomenon of such strange character, of which so few 
authentic accounts exist, there appears to be no possible way of in- 
cluding all those points which are really of scientific interest, except 
by narrating everything which was seen, and leaving to others the 
power of selecting from the mass those circumstances which may 
possess some real value. 
V. Mr. Baily communicated the substance of a circular letter, 
which he had received from Professor Schumacher, announcing the 
discovery of a Comet by M. Laugier at Paris, on the 28th of Octo- 
ber. At 10% 10™ mean time at Paris its right ascension was 16" 
41™ and its declination + 68° 44'. The right ascension increased, 
in six hours, 3™ 348, and the declination diminished 20' in the same 
interval. 
VI. Before the close of the meeting, an explanation was given by 
the Astronomer Royal, Mr. Airy, of the principle of an escapement 
recently invented by him, and intended to be applied to a clock 
made by Mr. Dent for the Observatory of Pulkowa. For this we 
refer to the Monthly Notices, vol. v. p. 221. 
