Ringwood. — On Red Sunsets. 393 



colour and had no brightness in it. At Yokohama Mr. Hamilton states 

 that on the 29th and 30th the sun was of a blood- red colour and appeared 

 to be obscured. This is at a distance of about 3,000 miles from Krakatoa, 

 which gives a velocity of the upper current, or return trade-wind, of about 

 62 miles per hour ; this is not excessive, as I have often measured the 

 velocity of the north-west upper current at Adelaide as over 80 miles per hour. 

 You may remember that I did not continue the tracking of the dust- 

 cloud from that position assigned to it by Captain Penhallow, in lat. 24° N. 

 long. 140^-° W., on the 25th September, because the European and American 

 reports are so peculiar. Apparently, it was seen in England before the rest 

 of Europe, viz., on the 4th and 9th November, in California on the 20th, 

 San Francisco 23rd, Italy 25th, New York 27th, and at Berlin on the 28th. 

 So you see that the geographical arrangement is rather mixed in reference 

 to the order of dates. This may be accounted for by the fact that there was 

 a very severe volcanic eruption in the Alaska Group and Peninsula in 

 October I think ; it was very intense and quite capable of ejecting a dust- 

 cloud that would envelope the polar and temperate regions of the northern 

 hemisphere : of course it was not nearly so terrific as that of Krakatoa. 

 So you will see that we must be careful before we assert that the brilliant 

 sunsets of Europe are of Krakatoa origin. 



The phenomena of coloured suns and brilliant sunsets, I may tell you, 

 have been seen before, both in Europe and America, in connection with 

 Vesuvian and Iceland outbursts. Mrs. Somerville, the famous geographer, 

 gives an instance of them being seen in Norway, and traced their origin to 

 a severe eruption in Iceland. And H. C. Russell, B.A., F.R.A.S., F.M.S., 

 Government Astronomer, Sydney, in his book on the climate of New South 

 Wales, pp. 187 and 188, gives some most interesting instances of historical 

 accounts of darkened and coloured suns. I will quote them in their 

 chronological order : — 



" At certain times the sun appears to be not of his wonted bright- 

 ness, as it happened to be for a whole year when Cassar was 

 murdered, when it was so darkened that it could not ripen the 

 fruits of the earth." Virgil, Geor., Liber I., etc. 



In 1090 there was a darkening of the sun for three hours. 



In 1106, beginning of February, there was an obscuration of the sun. 



In 1208 there was a darkening of the sun for six hours. 



In 1547, 24th to 28th August, the sun was reddish, and so dark that 

 several stars were visible at noonday. 



In 1706, 12th May, about 10 o'clock in the morning it became so 

 dark that bats commenced flying and persons were obliged to 

 light candles t 



