Astronomy. 139 
with a needle between two and three inches in length, possessing the 
delicacy of movement of the best surveyor’s compass, but without lev+ 
els or vernier. The weather was warm and sultry, with indications of 
rain from some of the large clouds in different parts of the heavens; 
but with hardly air enough stirring to move a leaf. No motion of the 
needle was observed between 1 p. M. and 4 p.m. Soon after it was ob- 
served to shift its position toward the west, and at 54 it had attained its 
grealest variation, pointing then more than half a degree to the west o 
h, e variation decreased from that time till a quarter past six, 
when the needle was again precisely on the meridian. In the circum- 
stances of the observation it seems quite uncertain whether the move- 
ment of the needle was not due to other causes than the interception of 
solar influence. 
Lieut. Maury (Ast. Journ., No. 72) communicates the observations 
made at the Washington Observatory :— 
Beginning by Mr. Ferguson, — - - 4h 2m 378-57 
End, Ie Me: BA 
“by Prof. Keith, . - . 
Mr. Ferguson observed with the large equatorial, and Prof. Keith 
with the west transit instrument, lified from its Ys and mounted on the 
reversing apparatus. ‘The computed times for beginning and end were 
48 2" 415-4 and 6" 27™ 295-4, ; 
_ Prof. James Curtey (Astr. Journ., No. 72) furnishes the observa- 
tions made at the Georgetown Observatory. The last contact was ob- 
served by Prof. Sestini with the equatorial, using a power of 25 or 30, 
in order to have the whole sun in the field of view. The time was de- 
for the last contact 6h 27™ 22-67, Georgetown Mean Time. 
38° 54’ 26” N., Long. 5% 8" 18-2 west of Greenwich. 
: The beginning of the eclipse was observed at 32 58™ 31°45 mean 
time at Charleston Observatory, the end at 62 19™ 08°83. Place of 
observation, the College. Magnifying power used, 55. Screen glass, 
d 
screens. “3, 
The temperature and trans +y, or rather transcalescency of the 
‘ansparency s 
i: nere was so y varying, that no results of interest could 
obiained with reference to the eclipse. 
