SUN-SPOT, STORM, AND FAMINE. 53 



means special watchfulness at the minimum sun-spot season, 

 and general confidence (so far as famine is concerned) at the 

 season of maximum solar maculation ; and that while as yet 

 nothing has been really proved about the connection between 

 sun-spots and famine, such confidence might prove to be a 

 very dangerous mistake. 



Supposing even it were not only proved that sun-spots 

 exert such and such effects, but that this knowledge can avail 

 to help us to measures of special precaution, how is the study 

 of the sun going to advance our knowledge ? In passing, let 

 it be remarked that already an enormous number of workers 

 are engaged in studying the sun in every part of the world. 

 The sun is watched on every fine day, in every quarter of 

 the earth, with the telescope, analyzed with the spectroscope, 

 his prominences counted and measured, his surface photo- 

 graphed, and so forth. What more ought to be or could be 

 done ? But that is not the main point. If more could be 

 done, what could be added to our knowledge which would 

 avail in the way of prediction? "At present," says Mr. 

 Balfour Stewart, "the problem has not been pursued on a 

 sufficiently large scale or in a sufficient number of places. If 

 the attack is to be continued, the skirmishers should give 

 way to heavy guns, and these should be brought to bear 

 without delay now that the point of attack is known." In 

 other words, now that we know, according to the advocates 

 of these views, that meteorological phenomena follow roughly 

 the great solar-spot period, we should prosecute the attack 



in this direction, in order to find out what? Minor 



periods, perhaps, with which meteorological phenomena may 

 still more roughly synchronize. Other such periods are 

 already known with which meteorological phenomena have 

 never yet been associated. New details of the sun's surface ? 

 No one has yet pretended that any of the details already 

 known, except the spots, affect terrestrial weather, and the 

 idea that peculiarities so minute as hitherto to have escaped 

 detection can do so, is as absurd, on the face of it, as the 

 supposition that minute details in the structure of a burning 



