5Q4 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1748. 



light several times ; but whether this was owing to shutting his eyes, in order to 

 relieve them, or not, he cannot tell. He was told, that the Rev. Mr. Irwin at 

 Elgin observed the same. When Mr. S. first perceived it, he called to Lord 

 Morton, who was in the next room, but he could not see it. 



Before the eclipse began, and during the whole lime of the eclipse, the air 

 being exceedingly clear, Mr. S. saw through the 4-foot reflector, the surface of 

 the sun covered with something which he had never observed before; it seemed 

 to be all irregularly overspread with light, and a faint shade, especially towards 

 his equatorial diameter. This appearance was so odd, that it is difficult to de- 

 scribe it, so as to give an adequate idea of wliat he saw; but if he may be allowed 

 the expression, it seemed as if it were curdled with a bright and more dusky light 

 or colour. This appearance was permanent, and regularly the same; and if in 

 any degree seen before, may have given rise to faculas having been seen in the 

 sun ; but to him the whole sun's body seemed to be more or less covered 

 with it. 



Mr. S. looked with all the attention possible, to see if he could observ'e the 

 body or limb of the moon before she touched the sun, and also after she left it, 

 and was entirely off the sun; but could see nothing at all of any such appear- 

 ance. He mentioned it to satisfy Mr. Delisle, who publicly desired this might 

 be attended to. 



The weather being very bad at Edinburgh, Mr. Matthew Stewart, the pro- 

 fessor of mathematics, could make no observations of the eclipse; he only saw 

 the end at 1 1'' 50™ 34'' true time; and even then the sun was somewhat cloudy; 

 he took however the sun's transit over the meridian, as then supposed, at 12'' 

 7"» 42* by his clock. They afterwards, in a few days, examined his meridian 

 mark, with a very exact equal altitude instrument, by 3 several correspondent 

 observations; and found his mark 3™ 22' of time to the west of the true meri 

 dian. The college is about 2500 feet distant from the castle eastward. 



The Rev. Mr. Bryce, at Aldiston, about 6 miles to the west of Edinburgh, 

 lat. 55° 55-l' n. observed with a reflecting telescope, 9 inches focus. 



Beginning of the eclipse at 8** 52"" SC 



Middle of the eclipse, as near as he could judge 10 1 7 40 



End of the eclipse, the sun being quite clear 11 48 40 



Mr. Short has set down the following observations of this eclipse just as they 

 came to hand when in Scotland, without making any other remark than that, 

 from the disagreement among themselves, they do not all of them seem to have 

 been made with due accuracy and attention ; for want probably of sufficient prac- 

 tice in this kind of observations, 



William Crow, Esq. at his house of Netherbyres near Haymouth, lat. 55" 

 51' N. says, 



