400 



NA TURE 



[August 24, 1905 



150 volunteers from H.M.S. Venus, including the 

 captain and all the officers, and we ourselves total 

 six, namely, Sir Norman Lockyer, Mr. C. P. 

 Butler and myself, and three volunteer observers. 

 Lady Lockyer, Mr. Howard Payn, and Mr. Frank 

 McClean. 



We arrived here on the morning of August lo, 

 having transhipped at Gibraltar to H.M.S. Venus 

 about noon on August 8. The arrangements for 

 transferring the i lo packing cases from ship to ship 

 were all that could be desired, an Admiralty lighter 

 and tug being in readiness on our arrival. By five 

 o'clock in the afternoon we were steaming away 

 towards our destination, leaving behind us that great 

 pile of rock, which eventually became a dim speck 

 on the horizon. 



Needless to say, the conversations in the captain's 

 cabin, in the wardroom, and in many other parts of 

 the ship were concentrated on eclipse matters, and 

 this culminated in a lecture which I was requested to 

 give to the whole available ship's company. The 

 keenness displayed was universal, and the following 

 day volunteers were called for to assist in the work 

 for the eclipse, and, as I have previously mentioned, 

 they now total 150. The same evening Sir Norman 

 Lockyer gave a lecture, which increased, if possible, 

 the keenness previously displayed. 



On our arrival at Palma, which, by the way, is 

 situated in a beautiful bay with an excellent 

 anchorage, the ship was boarded by numerous officials 

 after the customarv salutes had been exchanged 

 between the ship and the fort. .Amongst those who 

 came on board was our friend Mr. Howard Payn, 

 who had preceded us in order to fix on a suitable 

 site for our camp, to arrange for local labour and 

 material, and to smooth things generally for us. 

 The very admirable way in which this difficult and 

 delicate task was accomplished by him in conjunction 

 with Mr. Roberts, the British Consul at Barcelona, 

 could not be surpassed, and all the members of the 

 expedition are unanimous in singing their praises. 

 For the expedition to Spain in 1900 Mr. Payn 

 rendered a similar service, and on that occasion the 

 arrangements he made were all that could be desired. 



On the afternoon of our arrival at Palma, Sir 

 Norman Lockyer and Captain Eyres, in the company 

 of the British Vice-Consul, Mr. Bosch, paid some 

 official visits, and afterwards the site selected by Mr. 

 Payn was visited. This site is an ideal spot for a 

 large eclipse camp, being sufficiently close to a land- 

 ing stage for boats, walled in, and perfectly open for 

 astronomical observations in all directions. The 

 ground, which is private property', has been kindly 

 lent bv the owner for the purposes of the eclipse 

 observations, and the members of the expedition are 

 extremilv grateful for the use of such an admirable 

 camping locality. 



Indeed, kindness itself has been displayed in every 



direction. .•\11 the authorities of the island have laid 



themselves out to supply anything that is required, 



■ and already these offers have been accepted in several 



ways. 



On the early morning of .\ugust 11 work at the 

 camp began in earnest. The tents, loaned to us by 

 the \\'ar Office, were taken ashore and erected, and 

 later in the day the packing cases were landed and 

 carried by carts to the ground. Parties from the ship 

 soon began to be acquainted with the contents of the 

 cases they had so delicately handled, and by the even- 

 ing the large wooden structure composing the dark 

 room and the camera end of the prismatic reflector, 

 and also the siderostats and coelostat huts, -K^rii 

 nearly all erected and covered. While this work was 

 in progress, meridian lines were being pegged out 

 and the positions for the concrete pillars fixed. 



NO. 1869, VOL. 72I 



The erection of the piers for the instruments com- 

 menced on the following day, and so soon as these 

 were completed the instruments which were to be 

 placed on them were put together and set up. 



At the time of writing (.\ugust 18, 10 p.m.) great 

 progress has been made ; most of the instruments are 

 nearly erected, some are in appro.ximate adjustment, 

 while they are now all under canvas, the coverings 

 having been set up in truly nautical style. 



To gain some idea of the work undertaken, it may 

 be mentioned that the larger instruments include a 

 prismatic reflector of 76 feet focal length, a 6-inch 

 three-prism prismatic camera, two coronagraphs .(one 

 16 feet focal length) and an objective grating camera 

 worked in connection with one ccelostat, a triple 

 camera of 3-inch aperture and 12 feet focal length 

 for photographing the eclipsed sun in colours, and a 

 3A-inch coronagraph worked equatorially. .\lread\' 

 each instrument has a party from the ship to assist 

 in working it efficiently, and these are daily in the 

 camp to render aid when necessary. 



In addition to the above-mentioned assistants for 

 the instruments, there are several other pieces of 

 work which are being taken in hand. Thus the disc 

 party has already erected discs of various sizes on 

 imposing structures on the east side of the ground. 

 Further, there are groups of observers for sketching 

 the corona without discs, making star observations, 

 recording the colours of the corona and landscape, 

 observing the shadow-bands and sweep of the shadow, 

 making meteorological observations, &c. 



These and other parties are daily being drilled to 

 render them as efficient as possible, and there is every 

 hope that eclipse day will find them skilled and 

 accurate observers. 



We are, however, rather doubtful as to the kind of 

 weather that will be experienced here on the eventful 

 day. So far, the chances have been in our favour, 

 but partially clouded skies are more common than one 

 would like to see. A sharp thunderstorm broke over 

 the town on the early morning of August 17, and 

 rain fell in torrents. Fortunately there was no wind, 

 ■and no damage was done. Those acquainted with 

 the local weather conditions cheer us up by forecast- 

 ing fine weather, but clouds are far more frequent 

 than one would wish them, and the prospects are not 

 nearly so good as they were in India in i8g8 or 

 .Spain in igoo. In less than a fortnight's time our 

 fate will be sealed. 



In addition to our party, numerous other observers 

 of different nationalities are taking or have taken 

 up their stations in the neighbourhood of the town. 

 William J. S. Lockyer. 



FIRST IXTERXATIONAL CONGRESS OF 

 ANATOMISTS. 



'TP HE first meeting of the Congres federatif inter- 

 ■'• national d 'Anatomic was held in Geneva, and 

 commenced on the morning of Sunday, August 6, by 

 the opening of an exhibition of specimens and ap- 

 pliances illustrating recent progress in anatomy. 

 The congress closed on the evening of Thursday, 

 .\ugust 10, when three hundred members and ad- 

 herents of the congress were entertained by the city 

 of Geneva to an official banquet. The congress re- 

 presented a conjoint meeting of the five leading 

 anatomical societies — the Anatomical Society of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, .\natomische Gesellschaft, 

 Association des Anatomistes, Association of 



."Xmerican .\natomists, and the L'nione Zooligica 

 Italiana. .-Mmost every country was represented, 

 Switzerland itself contributed more than 100 members, 

 France 66, Germany and .\ustria 36, Great Britain 



