508 Rmjal ImtitiUion. 



shire, and that the direction of the wind over these counties daring 

 the time was chiefly N. and E.N.E. At many places the day was 

 fine and bright. , • • ' 



" The change of wind from S. nearly to S.E. by midnight on the 

 14-th, and to N.E. at about the time the fall began, and the change 

 of wind just before the rain ceased to N.N.W., indicate that this 

 great fall of rain in so short a time was attributable to the meeting 

 of two currents of air of different temperatures, and the consequent 

 great deposition of moisture. 



" It will be seen that the weather in Ireland;OU tJits day W-as. for 

 the most part fine. li: ^nfxi'isid ads li bas 



.. 'M ani» dear Sir, i... ;,(!>< ,ni;-: 



buuui 11*! 'V Yours very faithfully, 

 \ , iv .T " James Glaisher." 



" P.S. The average fall of rain in the month of March is about 

 1*7 inch." 



ii^^<JSlII, Christie Es^P -'"B'q a^J a>J3inu iiaqqjisu obj s§niui ixonb 



iov> ■ Sec S S." ■^''"41^ n9i[v/ ,noom aril iadi noili^oq 8 done 



wolad JO nu« djiJsvudfi ion g gfig^ n1 naa w ei ,noora wan to noiJofloi, 



UOYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN. , i" 

 May 2, 1851. — The Astronomer Royal on the Total Solar Eclipse 

 of 1651, July 28. 



The Lecturer remarked that the subject which he had suggested 

 to the Managers of the Institution for the present Lecture might at 

 first sight appear meagre and commonplace, but that he believed it 

 would be found to be one of the highest interest; first, because 

 during a total eclipse we are permitted a hasty glance at some of 

 the secrets of nature which cannot be seen on any ether occasion ; 

 secondly, because the general phrenomenon is perhaps the most 

 awfully grand which man can witness. Many of his audience had 

 probably seen large ])artial eclipses of the sun, and they might sup- 

 pose tliat a total eclipse is merely an intensified form of a partial 

 eclipse ; but, having himself witnessed a total ecli])se, he was able 

 to assure them that no degree of partial eclipse up to the last moment 

 of the sun's appearance gave the least idea of a total eclipse, as re- 

 garded cither the generally terrific appearances, or the singular 

 nature of some of the phsenomena. Many years ago, in reading the 

 admirable essay in the Philosophical Transactions by the late Mr. 

 Baily on the eclipse (usually called that of Thales), the occurrence 

 of which suspended a battle between the I^ydians and the Medes, he 

 had been struck by the cogencj' of Mr. Baily's arguments, which 

 showed that only a total eclipse could be admitted as sufficient to 

 produce the eftect ascribed to it ; and by the remark (cited by Mr. 

 Baily) of Maclaurin and Lemonnier, that in an annular eclipse of 

 the sun, even educated astronomers when viewing the sun (nearly 

 covered by the moon) with the naked eye could not tell that it was 

 not full. The appearances, however, in a total eclipse, as he should 

 afterwards mention, were so striking, that there could be no diffi- 

 culty in believing the historian's account to be literally correct. 



