118 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 
I was provided with a telescope of admirable definition, 
mounted, adjusted, packed, and most liberally placed at 
my disposal by Mr. Warren De La Rue. The telescope 
grasped the whole of the sun, and a considerable portion 
of the space surrounding it. But it would not take in the 
extreme limits of the corona. For this I had lashed on to 
the large telescope a light but powerful instrument, con- 
structed by Ross, and lent to me by Mr. Huggins. I was 
also furnished with an excellent binocular by Mr. Dallmeyer. 
In fact, no man could have been more efficiently supported. 
It required a strict parceling out of the interval of totality 
to embrace in it the entire series of observations. These, 
while the sun remained visible, were, to be made with an 
unsilvered diagonal eye-piece, which reflected but a small 
fraction of the sun's light, this fraction being still further 
toned down by a dark glass. At the moment of totality 
the dark glass was to be removed, and a silver reflector 
pushed in, so as to get the maximum of light from the 
corona and prominences. The time of totality was dis- 
tributed as follows: 
1. Observe approach of shadow through the air: totality. 
2. Telescope ... 30 seconds. 
3. Finder 
4. Double image prism 
5. Naked eye . 
6. Finder or binocular 
7. Telescope . 
8. Observe retreat of shadow. 
30 seconds. 
15 seconds. 
10 seconds. 
20 seconds. 
20 seconds. 
In our rehearsals Elliot stood beside me, watch in hand, 
and furnished with a lantern. He called out at the end of 
each interval, while I moved from telescope to finder, from 
finder to polariscope, from polariscope to naked eye, from 
naked eye back to finder, from finder to telescope, aban- 
doning the instrument finally to observe the retreating 
shadow. All this we went over twenty times, while look- 
ing at the actual sun, and keeping him in the middle of 
the field. It was my object to render the repetition of the 
lesson so mechanical as to leave no room for flurry, forget- 
fulness, or excitement. Volition was not to be called upon, 
nor judgment exercised, but a well-beaten path of routine 
was to be followed. Had the opportunity occurred, I 
think the programme would have been strictly carried 
out. 
