164 



NATURE 



[Dec. 2S, i87r 



whom had not before emerged from their cabins, now 

 came out as gay as possible, ready to make an impression 

 at Malta. Our astronomers, who had not been exempt 

 from the common fate of those who try the sea without a 

 special education, now quickly roused themselves to make 

 use of the opportunities for overhauling their instruments, 

 and practising themselves for the work before them. The 

 officers of the ship kindly gave every assistance, and those 

 instruments that could be used on so unsteady a platform 

 as a ship's deck were brought up from the hold, in which 

 they had lain safely during the gale in the Bay, mounted 

 on temporary stands, and used most diligently to investi- 

 gate the changing phenomena with which we were sur- 

 rounded. Classes also for mutual instruction were formed, 

 so that each observer, on being detached in India, might 

 — no matter what his special forte, whether spectroscope 

 or polariscope — be able to impart instruction to the volun- 

 teers that we hope to obtain in India to aid in the good 

 woik. Our party numbered ten, viz. : Mr. Lockycr, chief, 

 Messrs. Abbay, Moseley, Friswell, Capt. Tupman, R.M.A., 

 and Commander Maclear, R.N., spectroscope observers ; 

 Dr. Thomson and Mr. Lewis, polarisers ; Mr. HoUiday, 

 artist ; and Mr. Davis, photographer. At Suez we were 

 strengthened by the addition of Signor Respighi, from 

 Rome, who has so distinguished himself by his observa- 

 tions of the solar atmosphere. The other passengers took 

 great interest in the doings of the "Wise Men of the 

 East," as they called us, and at their request, the day 

 before arrival at Malta Mr. Lockyer gave a lecture on the 

 advances that had been made of late years in solar 

 physics, and on the object of this expedition. 



Observations were made, as opportunities were given by 

 clear sunrise and sunset at sea, on the aIteratio»s that take 

 place in the absorption bands as the sun rises from the 

 horizon ; and here may be mentioned the interesting 

 result, that whilst in the open sea the bands at sunrise 

 and sunset were, with slight variations, the same as 

 observed by Lieut. Hennesey (paper read before the 

 Royal Society May 21, 1870) whilst passing through the 

 Suez Canal and down the Red Sea, the lines attributed 

 to aqueous vapour near C and D were weaker, and 

 although the colour of the hills about Suez was of a 

 delicate purple, especially at sunset, the violet end of the 

 spectrum could hardly be seen. 



In the Indian Ocean, when the air was close and filled 

 with moisture, and the N.E. monsoon blowing, the absorp- 

 tion bands near the horizon became very strong, and it was 

 very interesting during the afternoon to fix a telescope 

 with spectroscope attached, so that the horizon bisected 

 the field ; the spectrum of the air above the horizon then 

 gave the absorption bands, but they were very faint in 

 the light reflected on the water from the upper part of i 

 the sky, and they could be seen lengthening and shorten- 

 ing as the ship rolled towardsor from thatside. On pointing 

 the spectioscope at the sky above, only the ordinary solar 

 spectrum could be seen. 



The Canal was entered on the 8th of November about 

 3 P.M., and the ship anchored at Suez at noon on the 10th. 

 The Mirsapoi'c' is one of the largest vessels that has passed 

 through the Canal, and though she got through salely, it 

 must not be supposed that she did not touch at all ; in 

 fact, the Canal is so narrow that too little room is left to 

 allow for the time that so long a ship (400 feet) requires to 

 answer her helm, especially at slow speed ; and though the 

 helm was shifted, and in some cases the engines reversed, 

 as soon as the bow deviated from the straight line be- 

 tween the piles marking mid-channel, she could not be 

 prevented touching several times. The narrowness also 

 occasions delay when two vessels have to pass, one having 

 to haul close in to the bank, and make herself as small as 

 possible while the other goes by. But it is a grand work, 

 and we have fully experienced the advantage of it, in 

 avoiding the trans-shipment of our instruments, and the 

 rough handling they would have experienced crossing the 



desert. We anchored in the Bitter Lakes on the evening 

 of the 9th. The cause of the name they bear was shown 

 by the fact, attested by our engineer, that the water was 

 much Salter than in the canal on either side. 



On arrival at Galle we were delighted to find that 

 Admiral Cockbum had brought his flag-ship the Glasgo-df 

 to meet us, and convey our Indian party to Beypoor and 

 Baikul. He has kindly placed all his accommodation at 

 our disposal whilst he visits Ceylon, All our instruments 

 were embarked yesterday, and we leave this morning for 

 Beypoor, where we hope to arrive on the 2nd. The colo- 

 nial steamer Screiidik left yesterday with the parties for 

 Jaffna and Trihcomalee. 



I can now give you the last dispositions of our party. 

 In consequence of M. Janssen taking his station on the 

 Neilgherries, we shall occupy two stations in Ceylon : 

 Jaftha, where will be Captain Fyers, R.E., Captain Hogg, 

 Captain Tupman, R.M.A., and Mr. Lewis ; and Tnn- 

 comalee, Mr. Moseley and Mr. Ferguson. 



In India, Baikul or Ootacamund will be our head 

 quarters, occupied by Messrs. Lockyer, Davis, Maclear, 

 and Dr. Thomson ; at Manantawhaddy, Messrs. Abbay 

 and Friswell ; at Poodacottah, Mr. HoIIiday and M. 

 Respighi. 



I hope I shall be able to tell you of the success of our 

 efforts. J. P. Maclear 



Galle, Ceylon, Nov. 28 



The following provisional arrangements have been made 

 in order to save time after arrival at Galle. Observers 

 are warned that they are liable to alteration on receipt 

 of information from the Indian and Ceylon authorities : — 



1. The expedition will be divided into six parties as 

 follows: (i) Lockycr, Thomson, Maclear; (2) Respighi, 

 HoIIiday ; (3) Tupman, Lewis, Ferguson ; (4) Abbay, 

 Friswell ; (5) Moseley ; (6) Davis. 



2. Each party will be under the charge of the observer 

 just named in each party, who will be held responsible for 

 the instruments, &c., detailed for the use of observers. 

 He will also be the channel of communication with the 

 local authorities, and will make arrangements for the 

 observations to be made by local volunteers. 



3. Special instructions will subsequently be issued for 

 the observations, and stations will be named. Each 

 observer will be responsible to the chief of the expedition 

 alone for these observations. 



4. The observers in charge of each party will hand in 

 to the treasurer a receipt for the instruments, &c., de- 

 tailed for each party. 



5. The observer in charge of each party will make a 

 list of the cases containing the instruments, &c., ard will 

 arrange for their tiansfer from the Mirzaporc, and for 

 their future transit. 



6. He will be held responsible for the repacking of the 

 instruments after the eclipse, and for their transmission to 

 Galle or Bombay. 



To this we are able to append the following official m- 

 structions : — 



The Ceylon party to be as follows : — Captains Fyers, 

 Hogg, and Tupman ; Messrs. Moseley, Lewis, Ferguson, 

 jun., and Fcenandez. 



Observing Stations to be as follows : — i. Jaffna and 

 station south ; 2. A position as far north of Trincomalee 

 as possible, and a station south. 



Instruments to be detailed as follows: — recording 

 Dublin spectroscope, Capt. Fyers ; tube Dublin spectro- 

 scope, Mr. Ferguson ; analysing spectroscope, Mr. Mose- 

 ley ; camera, Capt. Hogg ; polariscope, Mr. Lewis. 



Mr. Foenandez should observe on the central line. He 

 should instruct two observers to inake drawings of the 

 Corona on a plan similar to his own near the southern 

 limit of totality. 



The recording spectroscope to be used to determine 

 coronal lines in the red end of the spectrum to, and in- 



