ant 



PBEFACE. 



IN this volume of Essays I have included a series of 

 papers relating to the great Solar Eclipses which have 

 been successfully observed since the year 1868, papers 

 written at the time, and describing the anticipations 

 formed as each eclipse approached, and the results 

 actually obtained during the progress of the eclipse. I 

 have removed portions of those papers which are now 

 practically out of date, but I have left enough to afford 

 what I think will be found an interesting history of the 

 progress of eclipse observation during the past fifteen 

 years. 



The other Essays resemble in general character 

 those in the two former series of * Light Science for 

 Leisure Hours.' 



KICHD. A. PROCTOR. 



LONDON : April 1883. 



