68 MEMOIR OP ALFRED SMEE. [Chap. VII. 



thither, for my father had a great desire to try the effects of 

 his photometer.* We were located for the day in a stiff clay 

 ploughed field — rendered extra stiff and disagreeable for quick 

 locomotion by some continued rains previously. There was a 

 hut hard by at which the savants and the ladies of their party 

 retired to warm themselves and refresh the inner man, when 

 their presence was not required for observing the great natural 

 phenomenon. There were some amusing accounts of these savants 

 and of the eclipse sight-seers in some of the journals of the time, 

 especially in' the local papers. 



It came on to rain, and at the end of the day we all left that 

 ploughed clay field, thankful that we could get out of it : yet most, 

 if not all, felt that they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and 

 had lived a day to be remembered always with delight. The 

 results of my father's experiments with his photometer were 

 published in the ' Times,' the ' Morning Chronicle,' and some other 

 papers. For his letter to the ' Morning Chronicle,' with the 

 drawing and description of the photometer, see the Appendix, 

 No. XXIV. 



A brilliant comet followed this total eclipse of the sun, and 

 later, in the middle of November, my grandfather died, just nine 

 years and one day after the death of his wife. As 1849, so 

 did 1858 — both eventful years in physical phenomena — close 

 in sorrow to Alfred Smee. 



* See p. 39. 



