﻿TOTAL 
  SOLAR 
  ECLIPSE 
  OF 
  1851. 
  505 
  

  

  done 
  nothing, 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  too 
  much 
  for 
  him. 
  In 
  fact, 
  the 
  general 
  scene 
  of 
  a 
  total 
  

   eclipse, 
  is 
  a 
  potent 
  Siren's 
  song, 
  which 
  no 
  human 
  mind 
  can 
  withstand 
  : 
  and 
  the 
  

   only 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  its 
  witcheries 
  can 
  be 
  guarded 
  against, 
  is 
  that 
  by 
  which 
  

   Ulysses 
  passed 
  the 
  fatal 
  shore 
  in 
  safety. 
  Let, 
  then, 
  those 
  who 
  on 
  a 
  future 
  occa- 
  

   sion 
  have 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  more 
  accurate 
  telescopic 
  observations, 
  surround 
  themselves 
  

   by 
  some 
  high 
  wall, 
  which 
  shall 
  prevent 
  their 
  seeing 
  anything 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  sky 
  round 
  about 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  moon. 
  And 
  let 
  those 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  

   observation 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  effects 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  confided, 
  be 
  competent 
  and 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  to 
  put 
  whatever 
  they 
  see, 
  pictorially 
  on 
  paper, 
  so 
  that 
  others 
  may 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  profit 
  by 
  their 
  opportunity. 
  

  

  First, 
  as 
  to 
  this 
  latter 
  department, 
  viz., 
  the 
  recording 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  effect. 
  

   The 
  result 
  of 
  my 
  partial 
  experience 
  is, 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  eclipse, 
  the 
  observer 
  may 
  be 
  sketching 
  in 
  a 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  forms 
  

   of 
  the 
  landscape, 
  on 
  six 
  separate 
  boards, 
  giving 
  60° 
  of 
  azimuth 
  to 
  each, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   include 
  the 
  whole 
  panorama 
  ; 
  or 
  one 
  long 
  board 
  properly 
  supported 
  may 
  be 
  

   better 
  still, 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  knowing 
  beforehand 
  where 
  the 
  most 
  effective 
  displays 
  

   will 
  take 
  place. 
  Moist 
  water-colours 
  in 
  tin 
  tubes 
  and 
  rough 
  drawing-paper, 
  I 
  am 
  

   disposed 
  to 
  consider, 
  after 
  much 
  practice 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  varieties 
  of 
  water-colours, 
  

   crayons, 
  and 
  oils, 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  effective 
  and 
  convenient 
  medium, 
  all 
  things 
  con- 
  

   sidered, 
  for 
  general 
  field-work. 
  Being 
  seated 
  then 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  place, 
  with 
  abundant 
  

   paper-surface 
  before 
  him, 
  the 
  observer 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  powerful 
  lamp, 
  to 
  throw 
  its 
  

   light 
  on 
  his 
  work 
  and 
  the 
  colours, 
  which 
  should 
  all 
  be 
  mixed 
  up 
  beforehand, 
  and 
  

   arranged 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  pallet. 
  

  

  Then 
  on 
  the 
  instant 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  obscuration 
  begins, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  complete 
  almost 
  

   the 
  instant 
  that 
  it 
  begins, 
  so 
  well-defined 
  is 
  the 
  shadow 
  of 
  the 
  moon, 
  — 
  he 
  should 
  

   immediately 
  put 
  in 
  the 
  colours, 
  shadows, 
  and 
  forms, 
  at 
  once 
  and 
  boldly, 
  with 
  

   a 
  large 
  brush 
  ; 
  every 
  stroke 
  of 
  which 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  will 
  enable 
  his 
  memory 
  after- 
  

   wards, 
  to 
  add 
  multitudes 
  of 
  those 
  little 
  indescribable 
  details, 
  which 
  together 
  form 
  

   the 
  impression 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  eye 
  ; 
  whose 
  power 
  was 
  confessed 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  but 
  

   which 
  are 
  nevertheless 
  easily 
  and 
  completely 
  forgotten, 
  unless 
  actually 
  seen 
  again. 
  

  

  But 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  put 
  in 
  even 
  the 
  groundwork 
  of 
  these 
  six 
  pictures 
  in 
  so 
  short 
  

   a 
  space 
  of 
  time 
  as 
  the 
  total 
  obscuration 
  lasts, 
  hardly 
  three 
  minutes, 
  requires 
  

   something 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  mere 
  wish 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  them, 
  though 
  this 
  is 
  unhap- 
  

   pily 
  all 
  that 
  astronomers 
  have 
  generally 
  taken 
  with 
  them 
  to 
  this 
  most 
  difficult 
  

   problem 
  in 
  art. 
  So 
  difficult 
  is 
  it 
  to 
  paint 
  a 
  tolerable 
  picture, 
  even 
  under 
  the 
  most 
  

   favourable 
  circumstances, 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  frequent 
  remark, 
  that 
  no 
  

   amateurs 
  have 
  ever 
  produced 
  works 
  capable 
  of 
  standing 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  with 
  those 
  

   of 
  professional 
  painters 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  further 
  the 
  excessive 
  difficulty 
  caused 
  

   by 
  the 
  almost 
  instantaneous 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  scene, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  necessitate 
  its 
  

   being 
  painted 
  from 
  the 
  memory 
  rather 
  than 
  the 
  fact, 
  — 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  wondered 
  at 
  

   that 
  none 
  of 
  our 
  scientific 
  books 
  yet 
  contain 
  a 
  tolerable 
  representation 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  