205 
pension of all preparations—the discovery of the right depart- 
ment—the sudden hurried arrangements: there are those here 
who are better able to inform you on these points than I. But 
suffice it to say that, in spite of all indecision and bungling, two 
expeditions left these shores; of which one went overland to 
Sicily—strange to say, these were shipwrecked; and the other 
went by sea to Spain and Africa, having weathered what I may 
call the Professor's storm on the way. 
The members of the latter expedition mustered on the even- 
ing of the 6th Dec. on board H.M.S. Urgent, Captain Hender- 
son, to the number of about 35; there they were divided into 
three detachments, each under a separate leader. One under 
Dr Huggins went to Oran in Algeria, another under Captain 
Parsons went to Gibraltar. 
The third party, to which I had the honour to belong, was 
under the guidance of Father Perry of Stonyhurst, and met 
with better success: we landed at Cadiz, separating there from 
our companions on the ship. We were thirteen in number and 
were distributed to our several duties thus: four were to observe 
with the spectroscope, four with various polariscopes, four to 
sketch, and one to keep the time and make general observations. 
The English expedition was not the only one in the neigh- 
bourhood of Cadiz. The Americans were a very strong party at 
Jerez (or Xeres), and Lord Lindsay, with great public spirit, had 
equipped a complete party, who were stationed at La Maria 
Luisa, about five miles west of Jerez. The Spaniards, who had — 
a very fine observatory at San Fernando, near Cadiz, and to 
whose courtesy we were greatly indebted, sent a party to San 
Lucar, a town at the mouth of the Guadalquiver, about ten 
miles north-west of Lord Lindsay’s position. Our temporary 
observatory was at San Antonio, intermediate to Puerto de 
Santa Maria and Jerez, about three miles from the former and 
five or six miles from either Lord Lindsay or the Americans. 
Description of Instrument. The instrument used was a 
16 
