478 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



INVENTION OF THE STEREOSCOPE. 



To R. Taylor, Esq. 

 Dear Sir, 

 Had your correspondent, Mr. Elliot, attended to the original date 

 of my first memoir on Binocular Vision, reprinted in the Philo- 

 sophical Magazine for April last, he would have seen that there was 

 no ground for impugning the originality of my researches. That 

 paper was read at the Royal Society in June 1830, fourteen years 

 ago, and published in the Philosophical Transactions. The subject 

 was brought forward in September of the same year at the Meeting 

 of the British Association at Newcastle, where it excited considerable 

 interest, and was fully noticed in consequence thereof in the 

 Athenaeum, Literary Gazette, and other public journals ; my Ste- 

 reoscope also at that time was made and sold by the principal op- 

 ticians in London. Whatever instrument Mr. Elliot made thirteen 

 years ago was therefore made after my experiments had received ex- 

 tensive publicity. 



Yours very truly, 

 King's College, C. Wheatstone. 



May 2nd, 1852. 

 [We have, since the publication of our last Number, received a note 

 from Mr. Elliot, stating, that had he been aware that Prof. Wheat- 

 stone had produced his Stereoscope so early as 1838, he would not 

 have sent the statement inserted therein. — Editor.] 



ON THE SUN COLUMN AS SEEN AT SANDWICK MANSE, ORKNEY, 

 IN APRIL 1852. BY C. CLOUSTON. 



The perpendicular column of light which appeared repeatedly at 

 sunset and sunrise during April, deserves a more particular account 

 than the usual monthly report contains, as this is the most northern 

 locality in which I have yet heard of its appearance. 



When seen in the evening, it was generally immediately after the 

 sun had sunk either below the horizon, or behind a bank of clouds 

 there. 



It was rather wider than the apparent diameter of the sun, and 

 extended upwards for about 15°, widening a little towards the top, 

 and becoming fainter, so that there was no defined boundary ; but it 

 was sometimes much shorter, and could be distinctly seen, when it 

 was less than the semidiameter of the sun above the horizon, either 

 when vanishing by descending, as it generally did, or as it last appeared 

 on the 3rd of May, without rising more than about 1°. 



Though at first it seemed to be a law that it must descend as the 

 sun descended below the horizon, yet on one occasion, at least (on 

 the 26th), it vanished by ascending, or the base disappeared first. 



It was generally remarkably perpendicular, but sometimes had a 

 perceptible inclination to one side, and followed the course of the sun 

 northwards. 



It had periods of greater and less brightness, but for the most part 

 was steady, something like a sunbeam among the clouds, and never 

 had any approach to the rapid motion of the aurora. 



