ECLIPSE OF 1851. 



"I again looked round, when I saw a scene of unexpected 

 beauty. The southern part of the sky, as I have said, was 

 covered with uniform white cloud ; but in the northern part 

 were detached clouds upon a ground of clear sky. This clear 

 sky was now strongly illuminated, to the height of 30 or 35, 

 and through almost 90 of azimuth, with rosy-red light shining 

 through the intervals between the clouds. I went to the telescope, 

 with the hope that I might be able to make the polarisation - 

 observation, (which, as my apparatus was ready to my grasp, 

 might have been done in three or four seconds,) when I saw that 

 the sierra, or rugged line of projections, shown at /, had arisen. 

 This sierra was more brilliant than the other prominences, and its 

 colour was nearly scarlet. The other prominences had perhaps 

 increased in height, but no additional new ones had arisen. The 

 appearance of this sierra, nearly in the place where I expected 

 the appearance of the sun, warned me that I ought not now to 

 attempt any other physical observation. In a short time the 

 white sun burst forth, and the corona and every prominence 

 vanished. 



" I withdrew from the telescope and looked round. The 

 country seemed, though rapidly, yet half unwillingly, to be 

 recovering its usual cheerfulness. My eye, however, was caught 

 by a duskiness in the south-east, and I immediately perceived 

 that it was the eclipse-shadow in the air travelling away in the 

 direction of the shadow's path. For at least six seconds this 

 shadow remained in sight, far more conspicuous to the eye than 

 I had anticipated." 



30. Owing to the unfavourable state of the atmosphere, the 

 observations of the other members of the Admiralty party were 

 not so satisfactory as those of its chief. Nevertheless, both 

 observers saw the red prominences, though imperfectly, as com- 

 pared with the results of the observations of the Astronomer 

 Royal. Baily's beads were seen by Mr. Dunkin, as well before as 

 after the total obscuration. Their appearance was of intense 

 brilliancy, compared by the observer to a diamond necklace. 

 Their effect on the observer was "quite overpowering," being 

 unprepared for a sight so magnificent. 



At Christianstad, the planets Yenus, Mercury, and Jupiter, 

 and the stars Arcturus and Yega, were visible during the totality 

 of the eclipse. 



31. Mr. W. Gray, stationed at Tune, near Sarpsborg, saw the 

 beads, both before and after the total obscuration. He saw four 

 of the red projections, three of which are represented in fig. 14, 

 the fourth resembling c and d in form, and diametrically opposite 

 to a in position on the moon's limb. 



173 



