Sun Viewing and Drawing. 431 



unless exceptionally interested in the matter, he will soon 

 probably be inclined to discontinue his observations (even 

 though well disposed towards them), both on account of the 

 difficulty with which the details of any but quite the larger 

 spots can be descried by a merely ordinary instrument, the 

 tediousness of keeping them in the field of view, the difficulty 

 of recovering them, often, when lost, especially when use is 

 being made of the higher powers; and lastly, the heat and 

 glare with which the investigations of the glowing face of 

 Father Sol are, under such circumstances, attended. 



The writer remembers well the discouragements with which, 

 in his novitiate, he had to struggle ; whilst nevertheless (owing 

 to the urbane encouragement of a world-honoured name in 

 science)* he continued his solar record, with perhaps a moderate 

 amount of success, but certainly an immoderate amount of 

 trouble. 



It had been long known, however, that an image of the 

 sun could be thrown down the tube of the telescope upon a 

 sheet of white paper (the focussing being duly attended to, 

 and made a trifle longer than that required for direct vision), 

 and that the existence of a solar spot could be readily made 

 manifest by this method, as it is termed, of projection. 



The writer had often noticed also that any specks of dust, 

 or moisture, or what not, that might happen to be lying at the 

 time upon the lenses of the eye- piece, were also faithfully 

 though annoyingly projected likewise on the paper ; though 

 by rotating the eye-piece ever so little it was at once apparent 

 which were solar and which mundane phenomena, inasmuch as 

 the positions of the former were not at all affected by the 

 rotation of the eye-piece, whilst the latter rapidly described 

 portions of a circle, commensurate with the amount by which 

 the eye-piece had been turned. 



So at length after various experiments with spots and 

 specks, the question arose — Why not systematically examine, 

 measure, and depict solar phenomena by means of projection, 

 on the largest convenient scale, and under the most favourable 

 circumstances attainable ? And this question was soon put 

 into practice ; the result being a collection of solar drawings 

 and measurements, of about six years continuance^ which, 

 though exceeded certainly both in numbers, and in certain 

 very important points, in scientific interest, by those of other 

 indefatigable and sagacious observers,! as well as by the highly 

 valuable photographic records carried on at Kew and at Ely, 

 have not yet been excelled perhaps, as a collection, for minute- 

 ness of micrometric detail. 



* Sir J. P. W. Herschel, Bart., of Collingwood, Hawldiurst. 

 f Viz., Schwabe, Wolff, Pastorff, and last, not least, Carrington. 



