﻿504 
  PROFESSOR 
  PIAZZI 
  SMYTH 
  ON 
  THE 
  

  

  vided, 
  through 
  the 
  Admiralty, 
  with 
  a 
  recommendation 
  from 
  the 
  Swedish 
  ambas- 
  

   sador 
  to 
  the 
  local 
  authorities, 
  which 
  opened 
  the 
  whole 
  coast 
  to 
  us 
  without 
  let 
  or 
  

   hindrance, 
  we 
  landed 
  on 
  the 
  Bue 
  Island, 
  north 
  of 
  Bergen, 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  

   eclipse, 
  — 
  erected 
  the 
  instruments, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  kindly 
  been 
  lent 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  

   Admiral 
  Sir 
  F. 
  Beaufort, 
  from 
  the 
  Hydrographical 
  Department, 
  and 
  having 
  the 
  

   zealous 
  co-operation 
  of 
  Messrs 
  Commissioners 
  Hunter, 
  Thomson, 
  and 
  Urquhart, 
  

   Mr 
  Secretary 
  Cuningham, 
  and 
  Mr 
  Alan 
  Stevenson, 
  the 
  able 
  Engineer 
  of 
  the 
  

   Board, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  vessel, 
  we 
  were 
  enabled 
  to 
  detail 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  observer 
  for 
  each 
  and 
  every 
  phenomenon 
  that 
  could 
  well 
  be 
  expected 
  during 
  

   the 
  obscuration. 
  

  

  Our 
  preparations, 
  however, 
  met 
  the 
  fate 
  but 
  too 
  frequently 
  suffered 
  by 
  

   astronomers 
  in 
  these 
  northern 
  regions, 
  viz., 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  rendered 
  futile 
  through 
  

   clouds 
  ; 
  clouds 
  so 
  dense 
  that 
  nothing 
  whatever 
  was 
  seen 
  of 
  the 
  heavenly 
  bodies 
  

   during 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  eclipse. 
  But 
  we 
  had 
  a 
  remarkably 
  good 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   judging 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  effect 
  of 
  a 
  total 
  eclipse 
  ; 
  and 
  what 
  with 
  our 
  partial 
  expe- 
  

   rience, 
  and 
  the 
  impartiality 
  with 
  which 
  we 
  could 
  judge 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  

   the 
  more 
  delicate 
  phenomena 
  by 
  others, 
  from 
  not 
  having 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  to 
  bring 
  

   forward, 
  — 
  we 
  are 
  perhaps 
  peculiarly 
  qualified 
  to 
  point 
  out, 
  wherein 
  observers 
  may 
  

   have 
  failed 
  in 
  doing 
  all 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  desired 
  should 
  be 
  done 
  on 
  such 
  an 
  occasion, 
  and 
  

   how 
  they 
  may 
  probably 
  succeed 
  another 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  effect 
  of 
  a 
  total 
  eclipse, 
  however 
  interesting 
  and 
  instructive, 
  as 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  sublime 
  phenomena 
  in 
  nature, 
  may 
  yet 
  appear 
  unconnected 
  with 
  

   the 
  more 
  scientific 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  ; 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  directly, 
  but 
  indi- 
  

   rectly 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  greatest 
  influence. 
  For 
  its 
  effects 
  on 
  the 
  minds 
  of 
  men 
  are 
  so 
  

   overpowering, 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  have 
  never 
  had 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  seeing 
  it 
  before, 
  

   they 
  forget 
  their 
  appointed 
  tasks 
  of 
  observation, 
  and 
  will 
  look 
  round 
  during 
  the 
  

   few 
  seconds 
  of 
  total 
  obscuration, 
  to 
  witness 
  the 
  scene. 
  Although 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  im- 
  

   possible, 
  but 
  that 
  some 
  frigid 
  man 
  of 
  metal 
  nerve 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  capable 
  of 
  resist- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  temptation, 
  yet 
  certain 
  it 
  is, 
  that 
  no 
  man 
  of 
  ordinary 
  feelings 
  and 
  human 
  

   heart 
  and 
  soul, 
  can 
  withstand 
  it. 
  In 
  the 
  eclipse 
  of 
  1842, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  vo- 
  

   latile 
  Frenchman 
  who 
  was 
  carried 
  away 
  in 
  the 
  impulses 
  of 
  the 
  moment, 
  and 
  had 
  

   afterwards 
  to 
  plead 
  his 
  being 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  man, 
  as 
  an 
  excuse 
  for 
  his 
  unfulfilled 
  

   part 
  in 
  the 
  observations, 
  — 
  but 
  the 
  same 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  staid 
  Englishman, 
  

   and 
  the 
  stolid 
  German. 
  Nor 
  was 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  experience 
  enough 
  to 
  guard 
  

   against 
  similar 
  results 
  on 
  a 
  second 
  occasion 
  ; 
  for 
  in 
  1851, 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  unin- 
  

   tended 
  perversion 
  of 
  observation 
  took 
  place 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  asking 
  a 
  worthy 
  American 
  

   who 
  had 
  come 
  with 
  his 
  instruments 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  pointedly 
  

   to 
  observe 
  this 
  eclipse, 
  — 
  what 
  he 
  had 
  succeeded 
  in 
  doing 
  ? 
  — 
  he 
  merely 
  ansAvered, 
  

   with 
  much 
  quiet 
  impressiveness, 
  that 
  if 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  over 
  again, 
  he 
  

   hoped 
  that 
  he 
  would 
  then 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  something, 
  but 
  that 
  as 
  it 
  was, 
  he 
  had 
  

  

  