1870.] 



The Eclipse of August 7, 1869. 



445 



intense whiteness of these objects that led me to suppose there 

 might be hovering above the solar surface in this region gaseous 

 exhalations that would appear during the eclipse. The white 

 meridian in this second diagram represents the limb of the sun 

 for the 7 th of August, and it will be noticed that the cluster of 

 faculte is just beyond this line. A similar white meridian in the 

 diagram giving the appearance of the sun on the 9 th of August 

 (Fig. 3), indicates the eastern limb of the sun during the eclipse. 



Solar disc, August P, 1869. 



In this latter instance we have the faculous ridges marked 

 i, g, f, e, which may be referred to prominences 4, 5, 6, and 7 

 of Prof. Mayer's diagram. It is worthy of special notice that the 

 faculous masses at I are very irregularly disposed, the tortuous 

 windings of its parts suggesting whirling motions in the photo- 

 sphere. Prof. Mayer's "Eagle" prominence is a fit object to 

 hover over such a curiously-agitated portion of the solar surface. 

 That my sketch gives a correct representation of the windings of 

 these ridges of faculae I feel quite confident. While making the 

 observation the outline was likened to a rude drawing of a camel 

 (Fig. 4). The resemblance may appear to some if the page is 

 inverted, the camel being supposed to face to the left. 



Fig. 5 is a copy of my sketch of the spots on the sun's disc, as 

 they appeared an hour previous to the eclipse. There was little or 

 no "change in their form or position until after the close of the 

 phenomenon. The large spot near the eastern limb, enveloped 

 in a platform of faculae, is the same as that visible on the 9th 

 (Fig. 3) near the same locality. 



& 2 h 2 



