﻿344 
  MR 
  WILLIAM 
  SWAN 
  ON 
  THE 
  

  

  candle 
  ; 
  but 
  upon 
  a 
  rapid 
  trial 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  corona 
  cast 
  no 
  sensible 
  sha- 
  

   dow, 
  its 
  feeble 
  light 
  being 
  evidently 
  overpowered 
  by 
  the 
  diffuse 
  illumination 
  de- 
  

   rived 
  from 
  the 
  horizon.* 
  I 
  also 
  looked 
  at 
  the 
  corona 
  for 
  an 
  instant 
  with 
  a 
  Nicolas 
  

   prism, 
  and 
  thought 
  its 
  outline 
  was 
  slightly 
  distorted, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  appear 
  somewhat 
  

   four-cornered 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  time 
  to 
  repeat 
  this 
  observation 
  I 
  regard 
  it 
  as 
  

   extremely 
  doubtful. 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  so 
  much 
  occupied 
  during 
  the 
  totality 
  with 
  more 
  important 
  observations 
  

   that 
  I 
  found 
  no 
  time 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  stars 
  ; 
  but 
  Venus 
  was 
  too 
  conspicuous 
  an 
  object 
  

   to 
  escape 
  detection. 
  It 
  appeared 
  shining 
  brilliantly 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  I 
  now 
  prepared 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  phase, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  not 
  the 
  slight- 
  

   est 
  difficulty 
  in 
  finding 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  greatest 
  brightness 
  on 
  the 
  moon's 
  limb 
  where 
  

   the 
  sun 
  actually 
  emerged. 
  His 
  re-appearance 
  was 
  preceded 
  by 
  something 
  like 
  a 
  

   gradually 
  brightening 
  twilight 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  red 
  prominences 
  had 
  vanished, 
  before 
  

   the 
  formation 
  of 
  Baily's 
  beads 
  announced 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  totality. 
  The 
  beads 
  

   were 
  not 
  now 
  so 
  numerousas 
  at 
  the 
  moment 
  of 
  total 
  obscuration, 
  but 
  their 
  

   appearance 
  was 
  otherwise 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  The 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  totality 
  was 
  observed 
  at 
  3 
  h 
  59 
  m 
  8 
  s 
  - 
  1 
  Goteborgmean 
  time, 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  its 
  duration 
  3 
  m 
  15 
  s, 
  5, 
  and 
  the 
  eclipse 
  ended 
  at 
  4 
  h 
  57™ 
  57 
  s- 
  8 
  ; 
  but 
  by 
  that 
  time 
  

   the 
  clouds 
  had 
  become 
  so 
  much 
  thicker 
  as 
  to 
  impair 
  the 
  definition 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  

   limb, 
  which 
  rendered 
  it 
  difficult 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse 
  with 
  accuracy. 
  

  

  The 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  phases 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  along 
  with 
  Lieutenant 
  

   Pettersson's 
  observations, 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  kindly 
  placed 
  at 
  my 
  disposal, 
  will 
  be 
  

   found 
  at 
  p. 
  346. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  totality, 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  sky 
  was 
  greatly 
  altered. 
  Its 
  warm 
  

   tint 
  before 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse 
  had 
  given 
  place 
  to 
  a 
  cold 
  gray 
  ; 
  and 
  

   the 
  cumulous 
  clouds 
  in 
  the 
  horizon 
  had 
  changed 
  to 
  stratous 
  clouds, 
  which 
  now 
  

   overspread 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  sky. 
  At 
  about 
  4 
  h 
  55 
  m 
  a 
  large 
  halo 
  formed 
  round 
  

   the 
  sun, 
  and 
  everything 
  indicated 
  a 
  great 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  meteorological 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere. 
  The 
  weather 
  gradually 
  became 
  more 
  gloomy, 
  and 
  there 
  

   was 
  heavy 
  rain 
  in 
  the 
  evening. 
  

  

  The 
  observations 
  of 
  temperature 
  contained 
  in 
  Table 
  V., 
  (p. 
  346), 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  two 
  small 
  thermometers 
  by 
  Adie. 
  Their 
  scales 
  are 
  trustworthy 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  

   comparison 
  with 
  Mr 
  Adie's 
  standard 
  thermometer, 
  were 
  found 
  correct 
  to 
  the 
  10th 
  

   of 
  a 
  degree. 
  The 
  thermometers 
  were 
  hung 
  on 
  pieces 
  of 
  wood 
  stuck 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   and 
  were 
  sheltered 
  from 
  the 
  sun 
  by 
  a 
  rock. 
  

  

  Neither 
  Mr 
  Lane 
  nor 
  myself 
  had 
  any 
  opportunity 
  of 
  witnessing 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  

   the 
  eclipse 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  animals 
  ; 
  as 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  cattle 
  or 
  birds 
  on 
  the 
  hill 
  

   near 
  our 
  station. 
  

  

  * 
  If 
  this 
  experiment 
  be 
  ever 
  repeated, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  performed 
  in 
  an 
  apartment, 
  or 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  

   a 
  box 
  adapted 
  to 
  exclude 
  the 
  general 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere. 
  The 
  candle 
  should 
  be 
  carefully 
  

   preserved 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  compare 
  its 
  light 
  vrith 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  moon. 
  

  

  