SOLAR ECLIPSE OF MAY 14. 15, 1836. 381 



the weather was generally fine. Northward of Germany the weather 

 was unfavourable. In consequence of the extent of the civilized nations 

 traversed by this eclipse, and of the atmospheric circumstances favour- 

 able in the main, it is believed to have furnished a greater number of ob- 

 servations, for geographical and physical purposes, than any other eclipse 

 on record, not excepting the memorable total eclipse of September 7, 

 1820. The number of spots on the sun's disc was unusually great. 

 The position of these spots, relative to the sun's centre, was carefully 

 determined by Dr Peters, from Schumacher's observations at Altona, 

 on the morning and afternoon of the ISth, with a twelve inch Ertel's 

 equatorial. The times of their contact with, and total obscuration by 

 the moon's limb, were extensively observed, and are placed on record. 

 It does not however appear that any important consequences have yet 

 been derived from this kind of observations. The details of the cir- 

 cumstances of this eclipse are given in full in the 13th and 14th vo- 

 lumes of Schumacher's Astronomische Nachrichten, and in the 10th 

 volume of the Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society of London. 

 Among the papers on this subject, the committee would mention, with 

 particular approbation, that of Bessel, No. 320 Astr. Nachr. ; of Rum- 

 ker. No. 319; and of Dr Peters, No. 326 ; as also Bailey's paper, in 

 the Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 10, a copy of 

 which (the gift of the author) is placed in the archives of this Society. 

 A reprint of a part of Bailey's paper was exceedingly useful in direct- 

 ing the attention of observers to the remarkable phenomena of the an- 

 nular eclipse of September 18, 1838. In anticipation of a more full 

 report on the eclipse of 183S, the committee would here remark the 

 fortunate circumstance of the attention of observers being thus directed 

 to these singular appearances; and that the presence in the same 

 building of telescopes of equal optical capacity, furnished with screen 

 glasses of different colours, and their use by the same observer inter- 

 changeably, have shown that these remarkable appearances may be 

 modified, if not wholly changed, by the nature of the medium through 

 which they are beheld. The committee indulge a hope that this sub- 

 ject will receive particular attention in future central eclipses, and 

 that the records of the past will be searched into, by those who are 

 possessed of the means, in order to show how far the discrepancies of 

 former observations may be explained by the effect of the screen glass 



