vii WORK AT MANCHESTER 161 



and I felt that it was more needed even in the cir- 

 cumstances of our failure than it would have been 

 had our expedition proved successful. 



As it turned out, those who were at a lower 

 elevation, especially the party under Mr. Brothers at 

 Syracuse, saw the eclipse perfectly, and brought home 

 some most interesting photographs of the appearance 

 of the sun at totality ; whilst Dr. Thorpe at Catania 

 obtained some valuable curves expressing the 

 diminution of the sun's light during the progress of the 

 eclipse as measured by the darkening effect by the solar 

 rays on normal chloride-of-silver paper. 



As soon as the news reached Malta that H.M.S. 

 Psyche had been lost, the admiral ordered the whole 

 of the fleet to repair to the spot to endeavour to 

 recover the vessel (see illustration). All efforts were 

 unsuccessful, and the admiral, fearing that a storm 

 was rising and knowing the dangerous character of 

 the neighbourhood from sunken rocks, decided to leave 

 the Psyche to her fate, and an advertisement appeared 

 in the papers a few days afterwards that the wreck 

 would be sold by auction. I believe the boat was 

 sold for ^"100, having cost the nation ,30,000. It 

 was an unfortunate error of judgment. We had no 

 business to be so near the shore, and instead of 

 altering the course when we approached Cape Molino, 

 which jutted out, the navigating lieutenant, in the 

 absence of the captain, who, as I have said, was below 

 looking after our effects, ran straight upon the 

 submerged rock. One thing that could be said 

 in favour of the officers was that the rock was not 

 shown on the chart which they were using. This 

 chart was an old French one, and no other was forth- 

 coming, although a complete survey of this dangerous 

 volcanic coast had been made by the British Navy 



M 



