1868.] 



Solar Eclipse of 1868. 



117 



again awakened by the near coincidence, as it seemed, of the line F with 

 the position of the wires ; but a little reflection convinced me that the 

 distance of the former was greater than the error which I might have made 

 in intersecting the blue line. 



Their readings and those of the solar lines. — I read F, and then D & C. 

 The following were my readings up and down : — 



Before 



Bright lines 

 After 



c. 



D. 



b. 



F. 



ri-9i 



2-96 



4-58 



5-64 



1-90 



2-94 



4-56 



5*61 



1-93 



2-98 



4-60 



5-65 



,1-92 



2-97 



4-58 



5-62 





[3-00] 





[5-56] 



i-93 



3-00 





5-65 



36. Identity of the Orange Line. 



1 consider that there can be no question that the orange line was 

 identical with D, so far as the capacity of the instrument to establish any 

 such identity is concerned. 



37. Of the Blue Line : doubtful. 



I also consider that the identity of the blue line with F is not esta- 

 blished ; on the contrary, I believe that the former is less refracted than 

 F, but not much. 



38. Of the Red Line : uncertain. 



With regard to the red line, I hesitate very much in assigning an 

 approximate place : B and C represent the limits ; it might have been 

 near C ; I doubt its being so far as B ; I am not prepared to hazard any 

 more definite opinion about it. Its colour was a bright red. This esti- 

 mate of its place is absolutely free from any reference to the origin of the 

 lines C and F. 



39. Subsequent mental aberration : not unusual. 

 It is a fact not unworthy of notice that in all the accounts of eclipses, 

 written soon after the event, which I have read, the record hurries rapidly 

 to a close after the sun has reappeared ; the reason, no doubt, is that a 

 reaction takes place after the excitement of witnessing the actual eclipse, 

 and phenomena which might be noticed after, quite as well as before, pass 

 unregarded on that account. For my part I was surprised to find how 

 utterly indifferent I felt to the appearance of things when I came out of 

 my observatory. I am almost ashamed to confess that I went straight to 

 my tent, and tried to write down what I had seen, instead of going to the 

 telescope to watch for what still might be seen. It never even occurred to 

 me to remove the spectroscope and use the fine telescope I had at command. 



40. After consideration of the phenomena witnessed. 

 I have not quite exhausted the statement of my observations, though 



