352 



NATURE 



{Feb. 29, 1872 



than the fish that Sindbad mistook for term firina. It was in- 

 tended to visit No. VII. Island, but it seemed that the country 

 we were in search of had gone under water — its custom in the 

 afternoon — and we sailed over part of it. On Friday a visit was [ 

 paid to tlie reef, which extends for three or four miles from one 

 extremity of No. VI. Isl.ind. The party landed on a patch of 

 sand, and waded about three miles in 2 ft. of water over a coral 

 bottom, in quest of shells. Here we had the wonders of the 

 deep and its strange inhabitants laid at our feet in all their rich 

 variety of colour. Some curious specimens were obtained. 

 There were enormous clams, capable of holding a man's foot in 

 their grip, abundance of bcche-lc-mer, pearl oysters, all kinds of 

 star fish (some of the most beautiful ulramarine), and many sorts 

 of coral. One member of the party picked up a handsome live 

 conch shell, weighing about 141b. Another was delighted wiih 

 a strange creature belonging to the star fish order. When first 

 taken from the water it had all the appearance of a pentagonal 

 plum cake of about 2 lb. weight, beautifully encrusted with sugar 

 crystals and profusely ornamented with coloui'ed caraways But 

 removed from the sea water the glories of this appetising-looking 

 creature only survived a britf period. When we had been a 

 couple of hours prospecting on this rocky bottom of the ocean 

 the tide rose rapidly, and we had no sooner got into the boat tlian 

 the whole reef dropped out of view. The attractions of No. 

 VI. Island proper were exhausted for the majority of people in a 

 very brief space, but one or two were sometimes to be seen mean- 

 dering along the beach, the very pictures of placid contentment. 

 The presence of a porter bottle in one hand and an oyster knife 

 in the other seemed to suggest that they had been visiting some 

 of the oyster beds. They were so full of blessed condit on that 

 conversation was superfluous, and on these occasions we passed 

 them without making a remark to disturb their dreamy hap- 

 piness. 



" Repeated attempts had been made since leaving Sydney to 

 catch fi'ih, but without success, on'y one small one having been 

 hooked. This a'ternoon, however, great sport was afforded by 

 the sharks. The bathers who went over the ship's side every 

 morning had been warned that there were several of these 

 villanous footpads of the sea ab lut ; but nothing but the sight of 

 these rapacious monsters on deck sufficed to induce them to 

 abandon the practice. The method adopted in catching these 

 sharks enabled both anglers and rifleman to take a part. As 

 soon as a thaik was hooked his head was drawn about si.'c inches 

 out of water, and three or four conical balls lodged in that ugly 

 flat prominence settled him before he was hauled on deck to be 

 drawn and rjuartered. In this way six, measuring from 9ft. to 

 12ft. in length, were disposed of in the course of an hour and a 

 half, besides two which were shot in the sea. and turned over on 

 their backs to sink. After this experience the morning ablutions 

 of the company were limited to splashing about the decks under 

 the ho5e. 



" Most of the company slept through the night on deck. 

 With the marvels of the stellar firmament above, whichever way 

 the eye was directed, we became contemjjlative astronomers, like 

 the Chaldean shepherds of old. The striking gandtude of the 

 sky formed an endless scene to gaze at and admire. Little 

 wonder that the ancients made the heavenly bodies objects of 

 religious veneration. When the sun had finished his daily round, 

 we watched the leaser bght that rules the night, making her 

 stately procession through the heavens, and the infinite variety of 

 stars moving in concert through boundless f pace. There is much 

 of the charm of romance in the !-tudy of the science which 

 teaches us that there are other glob.;?, in comparison with which 

 the eanh is but a speck, and proves to us that the ' patines of 

 brigl t gold ' with which the sky is inlaid are not simply joints of 

 light, but worlds like our own, with systems nf satellites muving 

 in their appointed courses in obedience to the laws of nature. 

 These unknowm countries afford abundant scope for interesting 

 speculation. The mind endeavours to picture the circumstances 

 of their inhabitants, and to conjecture, by some earthly standard, 

 what their pursuits may be. Bat the imagination refuses to 

 believe that the occupants of these bright workls are subject to 

 the conditions which bind those who dwell upon 'the dim spot 

 which men call earth,' and that they have cities like ours, with 

 their sins a-'d their sorrows. There were some stars in the 

 firmament which old residtnts of Au^tlal a had not seen for many 

 years. While our ves^t 1 was progies^mg n r'hward>, constella- 

 tions unknown in the south had tieen coming into view, and we 

 saw Cassiopeia and Perseus gradually rise above the horizon with 

 great brilliancy. Apart from the scenery of the heavens, the sea 



was beautifully phosphorescent. When the phosphorescence 

 was stirred all the sparks were convened by the action of the 

 retina into lines of light, which played around the ship in radial 

 streamers. 



"No time was lost by the astronomical party when they had 

 once elfected a landing on Eclipse Lland, as we christened the 

 [loint of observation. The islet was soon converted into a bust- 

 ling little canvas town. From nearly every tent some instrument 

 peered, all pointing in the one direction, as though these mortals, 

 with their puny optics, thought to stare out of countenance the 

 great Eye of D.iy. The Victoiian party had two analysing spectro- 

 scopes and an integrating spectro'^cope, both e quatorially mounted. 

 The first was in the hands oi Mr. Ellery, and the second was to 

 be worked by Mr. Foord, both gentlemen having assistants to use 

 the finding telescopes attached to pick out portions of the corona 

 for examina ion. The two analysing spectroscopes weie for 

 examining the na'ure of the light of the chromosphere and the 

 corona ; and the integrating spectroscop'*, entrusted to Mr. 

 M 'George, was de-igned to examine the naure of the whole light, 

 all the obsei vations being directed with a view to determining the 

 ch racter of the 01b from wh ch the light proceeds. Prof. 

 Wilson had two Savarl's polaii-copes. The object of polari- 

 scopi.; observations is to ascertain whether the light of the cirona 

 is that of a self luminous body or a reflected light ; also, in the 

 case of its being a reflected ligh', to determine the an^Ie of in- 

 cidence, the great question to be settled being whetlvr the 

 corona is an appendage of the sun, or whether it exists in our 

 atmosphere. There was also a magnetic theodohte to record 

 magnetic disturbances. Mr. Moerlin, assisced by Mr. Walter, 

 had charge of the photographic department. The principal in- 

 strument was one of Dalmeyer's rapid rectilinear lenses of 4in. 

 aperture and 3010. focal length, giving an image of about three- 

 tenths of an inch in diameter, equatorially mounted, and driven by 

 clockwork. It was intended to take ten views during the totality. 

 Mr. White, assisted by Mr. Black, directed the instruments for 

 determining the position of the station and predicting the time 

 of the diflerei.t phases of the eclipse. On the morning of the 

 7lh December a brick pier to support the transit instruments was 

 built. The pier was made square, as the instruments had to be 

 placed not only in the meridian for the accurate determination of 

 the time and lonj^itude, but also at right angles to the meridian 

 for finding the altitude. The first observations were made by an 

 eight-inch altazimuth, which does not require such a massive 

 stand as the transit. This gave very nearly the local time and 

 the direction of the meridian. By means of these data the 

 transit was fixed at right angles to the meridian, the finding of 

 the latitude by this method being more troublesome and requir- 

 ing finer weather than the finding of the time. On the first 

 night the sky was rather cloudy, so that only two complete ob- 

 servations could be taken. The next night three observations 

 were obtained, and the third night four observations were made. 

 This being considered sufficient for the latitude, the instrument 

 was next morning placed in the meridian, but the weather was 

 so unfavourable tnat no observations could be taken in that posi- 

 tion, so that the altazimuth had to be resorted to for the time 

 observations. 



" The Sydney party were furnished with an equatorial tele- 

 scope, made by Merz, of Munich, with 7|in. clear aperture ard 

 loft. 4iii. focal length, mounted on the German plan. Attached 

 to the telescope was an apparatus for taking photographs in the 

 principal focus of the object glass ; also a photographic lens and 

 camera, by which a second series of photographs could be taken 

 simultaneously, the photograph c lens having a 3in. aperture and 

 30in. focal length. There were, in addition, two small telescopes 

 of 2in. aperture, with a magnifying power of 20, mounted equa- 

 torially and driven by clockwoik, and a third telescope of 3iin. 

 aperture and 4ft. 6in. focal length. The party intended to take a 

 double series of photographs, to make two independent drawings, 

 and to make naked-eye drawings and observations. The duties 

 were apportioned as follows : — Mr. Russell, the Government 

 astronomer, was to take photographs with the large telescope ; 

 Mr. Beaufoy Merlin photographs with the camera, the Rev. W. 

 Scott and Lieutenant Gowlland to make diawings with small 

 telescope, and Mr. W. M'Donnell to act as timekeeper. The 

 ptssengers were furnished with diagrams, and each received in- 

 struciions to pav spt-cial attention to some cmc particular portion 

 of the phenomena. When the day of the eclipse arrived the 

 instruments were all working admirably. There had been 

 numerous rehearsals to secure the utmost economy of time, and 

 all felt that nothing but clear weather was needed for success. 



