1881.] I. B. N. Hennessey — On an outburst of Sun-spots. 153 



At first they satisfied their thirst by plunging their faces into water and 

 drinking like cattle : but they have now learned to drink out of a glass 

 or from a tap. They have made no improvement, however, in the matter 

 of food, which is principally flesh-meat either eaten raw or rudely cooked 

 by placing it for a few minutes on hot cinders. When coins were first 

 presented to them by visitors, they mistook them for food and tried to eat 

 them : on finding out their mistake, they threw them away in disgust. 

 They refuse to sleep on anything but a rude bed of straw, which they take 

 no trouble to renew. They remain generally quite silent, rarely speak to 

 one another, and then only in a low voice, and only show any vivacity of 

 expression when they are eating their meals. 



Col. Tennant says of these photographs — 



" Low as their intellect is said to be, I do not think that the photo- 

 graphs show any great want of natural intelligence, and in this respect they 

 agree with my own impression. Indeed, I think they are not unfair like- 

 nesses of the people." 



The Secretary read the following letter from Mr. J. B. N. Hennes- 

 sey, F. B. S., Deputy Superintendent, Survey of India, on an outburst of 

 sun-spots observed at Dehra Dun : — 



" The following particulars of an outburst of sun-spots may be of 

 interest to the Society not only on account of the magnitude of the 

 occurrence but because the time of the event is known within small limits. 



" I premise briefly, that a Photoheliograph is in daily use at the office 

 of the Trigonometrical Branch Survey of India, Dehra Dun, of which I 

 have executive charge. At present the instrument yields only 4-inch 

 pictures. At least two negatives are taken daily of the sun when visible. 



" On the 25th July 1881, the earliest negative obtained was at 3h. 58m. 

 p. M. (Local Apparent Time) : it exhibited several sun-spots as is now 

 usual and of which therefore little need be said, for it is no doubt known 

 to the Society that the sun for some months past has resumed a state of 

 considerable energy in respect to development of features : this negative 

 for the sake of distinction may be understood by N x . The second negative 

 or N 2 was taken at 4h. 47m. p. m. On comparing N 2 and N 2 , it was at 

 once seen that in the interval of 49m. a considerable group of spots had 

 appeared in the neighbourhood of the sun's centre. It is difficult to repro- 

 duce with fidelity such features from so small a negative even by means of 

 a silver print. I, however, enclose a hand-tracing of the negative N 2 

 (Plate III), in which the new group of spots is shown in red, so that the 

 position of the group may be nearly inferred. 



" This new group consists of 16 spots of which no individual spot is 

 notably large, but there is this peculiarity about them all that they exhibit 

 hardly any penumbra but consist almost entirely of well defined umbra : 



