16* On the l Kumbhupatias,' [Nov. 



wlxit penumbra appears is confined chiefly to two spots, where it is seen 

 only to the S. E. 



" As to magnitude, the spots are scattered over an area of some 6000 

 millions of square miles, while the collective area of the spots themselves 

 is about 630 millions of square miles, or, say, 6 times the area presented 

 by the earth to a distant spectator. 



li Unhappily the sun remained invisible till the 30th July, when two 

 negatives were taken, i. e., after an interval of just 5 days ; so far as 

 solar rotation could effect, the so-called new group of N 2 should have been 

 visible not far from the sun's western edge ; but the entire group had 

 vanished leaving no trace behind. In the interim of 5 days, 2 new 

 spots had come out ; of one of these I may add that the umbra is about 

 200 millions of square miles and the penumbra some 700 millions, present- 

 ing in all a single feature of more than 900 millions square miles, or say 

 9 times the area exhibited by the earth to a distant spectator. 



" It will be seen from the foregoing that a considerable group of sun- 

 spots burst into view about the centre of the sun on 25th July 1881 

 between the hours of 3h. 58m. p. m. and 4h. 47m. p. m. local apparent 

 time, Dehra Dun." 



Db. M'Cann drew the attention of the Society to some letters which 

 had appeared in "Nature" from Professor Piazzi Smyth, which were of 

 interest in connection with the outburst of sun-spots observed by Mr. 

 Hennessey. It appears that on January 26th of this year, a most peculiar 

 series of clouds formed in the upper regions of the atmosphere above 

 Madeira. These clouds resembled closely the appearances observed in 

 vacuum-tubes through which electrical discharges are passing : and Professor 

 Smyth attributes their formation to the passage of electrical discharges from 

 the earth through the upper rarefied regions of the atmosphere. Professor 

 Smyth, who had an observatory fitted up at Madeira, found that, simulta- 

 neously with this extraordinary cloud phenomenon, there was a sudden out- 

 burst of sun-spots in the centre of the sun's disc. A month afterwards, on 

 July 26th, a precisely similar series of clouds was formed over Madeira. 

 From its exact resemblance to that of June 26th, Professor Smyth formed 

 the opinion that there would probably be a similar outburst of sun-spots : 

 but, as his observatory was by this time dismantled, he was unable to verify 

 this inference. Now, however, Mr. Hennessey's independent observation 

 at Dehra Dun shows that Professor Smyth's inference was correct, and that 

 in this case also the appearance of the electrical cloud was immediately 

 preceded by a sudden outburst of sun-spots, indicating a sudden increase of 

 solar activity. 



The Seceetary read a communication from the Under-Secretary to 

 the Government of Bengal, Judicial Department, giving some particulars 

 of the tenets, habits, customs, and places of residence of the sect of Hindu 



