26o 



NATURE 



\Fcb. 1,1872 



falls, massive peaks, rocks here, and patches of wood 

 there, steep ravines and tea-clad valleys, presented us with 

 a scene of perfect beauty. 



Next morning we were away before sunrise on our 

 way to Mr. Pogson, whom we found at the Madras Ob- 

 servatory, preparing to exchange time signals with the 

 Jaffna party. Three photographs were taken by Mr. 

 Pogson at Avenashi, but the instrument used was so 

 different from those used at Bekiil and Dodabct (not 

 to mention Jaffna) that it is difficult to institute a 

 comparison in the time at my disposal ; but it is not to 

 be doubted that they will be of the highest importance 

 when the general results come to be discussed. Mr. 

 Pogson was assisted in the observations by his son and 

 Mr. Chisholm, the Government architect, who was highly 

 successful in sketching the corona and the eclipse effects 

 upon the landscape. 



Come we last to Jaffna. In my former article I re- 

 ferred only to the polariscopeand spectroscope work done 

 there. I have since learned that six photographs were 

 taken with the sister instrument to the one used at Bekul. 



The observations, in fact, were a perfect success. The 

 morning was clear and bright, and could not have been 

 finer had any one so wished. 



At about six o'clock the party and those who were to 

 assist them began to assemble on the Belfry Bastion in 

 the Fort. Capt. Tupman observed with a polariscope 

 and drew during the eclipse, and was assisted by Capt 

 Varian o{ ^\\Q Screndib as his time-keeper; Mr. Lewis 

 with his telescope and polariscope was stationed inside 

 the hut, with the photographic party, and Mr. Thwaites, 

 Deputy Queen's Advocate, who was assisted by the car- 

 penter of the Sercndib. Capt. Fyers, R.E., with the 

 spectioscope, had for his assistant Mr. W. S. Murray, 

 Deputy Fiscal ; ard Capt. Hogg, R.E., who presided over 

 the photographic department, was assisted by Mr. Twy- 

 nam. Government agent, and Mr. J. W.Simpson. By 

 these observets the polariscope results were arrived at, a 

 telegraphic summary of which I quoted in my last com 

 munication. Six photographs were taken, being one 

 more than we obtained at Bekul ; and in the clockwork- 

 driven integrating spectroscope the reversal of the dark 

 lines was seen at the beginning of totality, and the hy- 

 drogen bright lines and 1474 during totality. No infor- 

 mation yet about intensities. 



Sketches were made by Mr. Foenander,of the Surveyor- 

 General's Department, Colombo ; Mr. Pargiter, Assistant 

 Government Agent ; Mr. Vine, M C.E., of the Public 

 Works Department ; Mr. Carmichael and Mr. Layard 

 of the O.B.C. 



The crowd of natives round the Belfry Bastion was 

 very great ; they set up a most hideous howl directly 

 totality commenced, fancying that the end of the wcrld 

 was at hand. They were under the impression that tlr, 

 whole ot the Expedition with assistants and all here during 

 the eclipse were going to get into a balloon and off to the 

 sun and not return. 



It will thus be seen that the hopes of those interested 

 in the various expeditions of this year have not been dis 

 appointed. The composition and structure of a part of 

 the corona have been for ever set at rest, while we hive 

 seventeen photographs, taken by instruments of the s.tiue 

 power and pattern, to compare with each other — eleven 



taken at the ends of a base line some 400 miles long, and 

 six at an intermediate elevated point, whereby it was hoped 

 to test the influence of the atmosphere on the observed 

 phenomena. Whether the slight mist will have prevented 

 this or not remains to be proved; but anyhow here is 

 a wealth of records unequalled before, and we may 

 hope to Icarn much of the outer coronal regions from 

 their comparison, not only inter sc, but with Mr. Holi- 

 day's admirable drawings, showing considerable changes, 

 which have also come to hand. 



J. NORM.A.N LOCKVER 



THE ADMIRALTY MANUAL OF SCIENTIFIC 



INQUIRY 

 A Manual of ScUnlific Inquuy ; Prepared for the Use 



of Officers in Her Majcstfs Navy and Travellers in 



General. 4th Edition. Superintended by the Rev. 



Robert Main, M..^., F.R.S., Radclifife Observer at 



Oxford. Pp. 392. (John Murray, 1871.) 



IN one of the earlier numbers of the Philosophical 

 Transactions may be found a long list of observa- 

 tions proposed to be made by travellers who were about 

 to visit the Peak of Teneriffe. Athanasius Kircher, in 

 his China Illiistrata, had given an account of such 

 great marvels, that the less credulous, even of those days, 

 wondered and almost doubted ; and it was thought to be 

 of advantage to know whether unicorns and dragons 

 really did exist in foreign parts, whether diamonds grew, 

 and what was the precise nature of that " poyson which 

 turneth a man's bloud to gelly." Long afterwards the 

 Royal Society issued instructions for the Antarctic Ex- 

 pedition, hints for collecting information in China, and a 

 book entitled "What to Observe," but there was no" 

 general manual for the use of observant travellers, direct- 

 ing them specially not only what to observe, but how to 

 observe. In 1849 the Lords Commissioners of the 

 Admiralty, conceiving that " it would be to the honour 

 and advantage of the Navy, and conduce to the general 

 interests of Science, if new facilities and encouragement 

 were given to the collection of information upon scientific 

 subjects by the officers, and more particularly by the 

 medical officers, of Her Majesty's Navy when upon 

 foreign service," gave orders for the compilation of 

 " The Admiralty Manual." The work was originally 

 edited by Sir John Herschel, and was divided into 

 various sections, each the work of some competent 

 authority. 



The work is divided into four parts. The first in- 

 cludes astronomy, hydrography, and tides ; the second 

 terrestrial magnetism, meteorology, atmospheric tides ; 

 the third geography, statistics, medical statistics, ethno- 

 logy ; and the fourth geology, mineralogy, seismology, 

 zoalogy, botany. In this last edition all the articles are 

 brought en rapport with the progress of science since 

 1849 ; the article on tides by Dr. Whewell is revised by 

 the present editor of the book ; the articles on statistics, 

 medical statistics, ethnology, geology, mineralogy, botany, 

 have also been revised by other than the original authors. 

 There are two capital maps, the one to illustrate hydro- 

 graphic delineation ; the other to show the approximate 

 limits of the great currents and drifts of the ocean. 



