218 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Sept. 



quadrants, the length of rays from the corona were far larger than 

 from the 2nd and 3rd ; the greatest flaming projections rose in those 

 quadrants, so it appears evident that the great mass of light is in the 

 sun's atmosphere, and it is difficult to conceive that it can be caused 

 by anything except simple combustion, such as we witness in our 

 own fires. (The known motion of the sun through space indicates 

 that it thus obtains its constant supply of oxygen, and its great rate 

 of progression, rotation and revolution round its orbit of momenta 

 may be accepted as a sufficient exciting cause of ignition and light 

 in itself.) The brightness of the corona appears to be due to the 

 dispersion of the sun's rays in our atmosphere. It is to be hoped 

 that the experiments by the properly supplied expedition at Guntoor 

 will determine this point to the satisfaction of those who are qualified 

 to weigh the facts. 



In my sketch (Plate 5) I think that I have made the great flames far 

 smaller than they appeared in comparison with the moon. The great 

 flame in the fourth quadrant, when viewed through the telescope, looked 

 at least a third of the moon's diameter. The lights in the 3rd quadrant 

 were not visible after totality ; they were golden coloured and were 

 detached from the moon's surface. The outline of the moon was broken 

 round all the edges of its surface. 



August 18$, 1868, on hoard my boat in the Kistna Canal. 



Dr. Partridge then exhibited the drawings of the eclipse, as seen from 

 on board the French steamer " LaBourdonnais." The drawings had 

 been made by the Doctor and the Pilot of the steamer. 



A conversation took place in which several members joined. Dr. 

 Partridge drew attention to the admirable observation and description 

 of the eclipse observed in 1860, in Spain by W. De La Rue, and pub- 

 lished in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society for 1862, 

 and referred to several points in which the present observations con- 

 firmed these earlier ones. 



****** 



The President said they had also received from some other members 

 of the Society a few observations noted at various places not within the 

 limits of totality of the Eclipse. Mr. F. Fedden sent a sketch shewing 

 the several phases of the obscuration as seen at Bhooj in Cutch. Mr. A.B. 

 Wynne also sent an excellent series of diagrams shewing the successive 



