﻿TOTAL 
  SOLAR 
  ECLIPSE 
  OF 
  1851. 
  507 
  

  

  darker 
  than 
  the 
  background, 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  projected. 
  The 
  air 
  becomes 
  sen- 
  

   sibly 
  colder, 
  the 
  clouds 
  darker, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  atmosphere 
  murkier. 
  From 
  moment 
  

   to 
  moment, 
  as 
  the 
  totality 
  approaches, 
  the 
  cold 
  and 
  the 
  darkness 
  advance 
  apace 
  ; 
  

   and 
  there 
  is 
  something 
  peculiarly 
  awful 
  and 
  terribly 
  convincing 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  different 
  

   senses 
  so 
  entirely 
  coinciding 
  in 
  their 
  indications 
  of 
  an 
  unprecedented 
  fact 
  being 
  

   in 
  course 
  of 
  accomplishment. 
  Suddenly, 
  and 
  apparently 
  without 
  any 
  warning, 
  so 
  

   immensely 
  greater 
  are 
  its 
  effects 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  anything 
  else 
  that 
  had 
  before 
  

   occurred, 
  — 
  the 
  totality 
  supervenes, 
  and 
  darkness 
  comes 
  down. 
  The 
  shadow 
  of 
  

   the 
  moon 
  must 
  evidently 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  well-defined 
  termination 
  ; 
  and 
  those 
  who 
  

   have 
  seen 
  a 
  large 
  eclipse, 
  or 
  even 
  an 
  annular 
  one, 
  have 
  no 
  idea 
  what 
  a 
  total 
  

   eclipse 
  is 
  like. 
  Then 
  suddenly 
  came 
  into 
  view 
  lurid 
  lights 
  and 
  forms, 
  as, 
  on 
  the 
  

   extinction 
  of 
  the 
  candles, 
  a 
  phantasmagoric 
  picture, 
  before 
  unnoticed, 
  may 
  be 
  

   made 
  to 
  appear 
  prominently 
  imposing 
  in 
  a 
  darkened 
  room. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  

   most 
  striking 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  phenomenon, 
  and 
  was 
  precisely 
  that 
  which 
  

   made 
  the 
  Norse 
  peasants 
  about 
  us 
  fly 
  with 
  precipitation, 
  and 
  hide 
  themselves 
  

   for 
  their 
  lives. 
  Darkness 
  was 
  everywhere, 
  in 
  heaven 
  and 
  in 
  earth, 
  except 
  

   where 
  along 
  the 
  north-eastern 
  horizon 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  of 
  unclouded 
  sky 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  a 
  low 
  burning 
  tone 
  of 
  colour, 
  and 
  where 
  some 
  distant 
  snow-covered 
  

   mountains, 
  beyond 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  moon's 
  shadow, 
  reflected 
  the 
  faint 
  mono- 
  

   chromatic 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  partially-eclipsed 
  sun 
  ; 
  and 
  exhibited 
  all 
  the 
  detail 
  of 
  

   their 
  structure, 
  the 
  light 
  and 
  shade 
  and 
  markings 
  on 
  their 
  precipitous 
  sides, 
  

   with 
  an 
  apparently 
  supernatural 
  distinctness. 
  After 
  a 
  little 
  time, 
  the 
  eyes 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  get 
  accustomed 
  to 
  the 
  darkness, 
  and 
  the 
  looming 
  forms 
  of 
  objects 
  close 
  

   by 
  could 
  be 
  discerned, 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  exhibiting 
  a 
  dull 
  green 
  hue 
  ; 
  seeming 
  to 
  have 
  

   exhaled 
  their 
  natural 
  colours, 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  this 
  particular 
  one, 
  merely 
  by 
  

   force 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  colour 
  in 
  the 
  north. 
  Life 
  and 
  animation 
  seemed 
  indeed 
  to 
  have 
  

   now 
  departed 
  from 
  everything 
  around 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  could 
  hardly 
  but 
  fear, 
  against 
  

   our 
  reason, 
  that 
  if 
  such 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  things 
  were 
  to 
  last 
  much 
  longer, 
  some 
  dread- 
  

   ful 
  calamity 
  must 
  happen 
  to 
  us 
  also. 
  While 
  the 
  lurid 
  horizon 
  northward, 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  so 
  like 
  the 
  gleams 
  of 
  departing 
  light 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  grandest 
  of 
  the 
  works 
  

   of 
  Martin 
  and 
  Danby, 
  that 
  one 
  could 
  not 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  presence, 
  but 
  

   believe, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  their 
  alleged 
  extravagances, 
  that 
  nature 
  has 
  opened 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   constant 
  contemplation 
  of 
  their 
  mind's 
  eyes, 
  some 
  of 
  those 
  magnificent 
  revela- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  power 
  and 
  glory, 
  which 
  others 
  can 
  only 
  get 
  a 
  hasty 
  glimpse 
  of 
  on 
  occa- 
  

   sions 
  such 
  as 
  these. 
  

  

  To 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  scene 
  the 
  plate 
  refers, 
  and 
  may, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  

   successful 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  engraver, 
  Mr 
  James 
  Faed, 
  in 
  giving 
  an 
  idea 
  in 
  

   mere 
  black 
  and 
  white, 
  of 
  the 
  dark 
  mysterious 
  colouring 
  of 
  the 
  scene. 
  On 
  other 
  

   sides, 
  rain 
  clouds 
  and 
  falling 
  rain, 
  prevented 
  any 
  such 
  striking 
  effects 
  as 
  those 
  

   just 
  detailed, 
  and 
  within 
  three 
  minutes, 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  day 
  was 
  prevailing 
  again. 
  

  

  So 
  much, 
  then, 
  for 
  the 
  general 
  effects 
  of 
  this 
  total 
  eclipse, 
  and 
  may 
  the 
  next 
  

   vol. 
  xx. 
  part 
  hi. 
  6 
  x 
  

  

  