X.J TOUR IN NORWAY, 1851. 343 



so far, partly for the express purpose, than they did upoii 

 their own. Some notice of my intention had, it seems, 

 been circulated in a Christiania newspaper some time 

 before, so that I found my coming fully expected, and 

 all parties anxious to accommodate me to the utmost. 

 The commandant of the troops most politely reserved 

 for me a clear space' on one of the old bastions, and 



-ed a tent to be erected for the protection of my 

 instruments. Thither I repaired shortly before the time 

 of total darkness, accompanied by my friend Captain 

 Lous of the P rinds Gustav steamer, whose courtesies 

 had by no means ceased when his comfortable vessel was 

 no longer my home, by several Bergen friends, and by 

 an English gentleman in the same hotel, the only other 

 countryman, I believe, in the place. The morning had 

 been rather brighter than some previous ones before 

 twelve o'clock the sun had even shone gaily at intervals 

 but the clouds were throughout so menacing that no 

 one derived thence much confidence for the afternoon. 

 The body of the sun was visible, however, for a little 

 after the commencement of the eclipse, but it soon 



i me more and more overcast, and a portentous sort 

 of calm commenced, exactly as occurred in 1842, the 

 clouds being almost motionless. 



'As the hour of commencing total darkness approached, 

 the whole sky became uniformly bespread with dense 

 clouds. The rapidity of the consummation was not so 

 great as I had observed in 1842, which was easily 

 accounted for by the diffusing effect of the thick curtain 

 of vapour which already absorbed so much of the sun's 

 direct light. There was a tendency on the part of those 



: me to feel disipjiointed at the decree of darkness, 



but u 1 '<<; i use thc\- \\ere altogether unprepared 



for the nearly sudden transition from day to ni^ht \\ hich 



the instant that the moon's edge conceals 



1 -ortion of the sun When that really 



happened, it was impossible to have any doubt to within 



i.'ips a half, or even ;i quarter of a minute, from its 

 n .surrounding objects. Our po IticD 



