1885.] Total Solar Eclipse of September 9, 1885. 209 



to have scientific exactitude. The eclipse, however, was very dis- 

 tinctly seen at Wellington, and I have been able, with the assistance 

 of friends and the accounts in the newspapers, to obtain the following 

 information concerning it. 



Scarlet prominences were only moderately developed, and were 

 clustered chiefly at the equatorial and polar regions of the sun. The 

 best observers agree that the corona had a very irregular outline, and 

 was most continuous and vivid close to the sun's limb, having the 

 longest expansion reaching to nearly two diameters from the western 

 equatorial region. This large expansion appears to have had a 

 strongly marked spirally twisted structure, while all the other 

 appendages consisted of radiating pyramids. No laminated structures 

 appear to have been observed in any part of the corona. 



Most observers agree in describing an intensely brilliant flash or 

 meteor, lasting for two seconds, at the commencement of totality on 

 the eastern side of the sun, and exactly over the position of a large 

 sun-spot that was just coming into view at a few degrees south of the 

 sun's equator. This flash is described as having looked like a large 

 electric lamp suspended at a little distance from the moon's edge. At 

 the close of totality another flash, similarly bright, but not so large 

 and pointed, was seen on the western limb of the sun in a position 

 corresponding with a large sun-spot that was within 1' of arc of 

 passing over the sun's edge. 



The following is a list of the enclosures : — ■ 



1. Notification of the Committee's instructions. 



2. Charts of shadow path showing the position of Dreyertown and 

 Otahao. 



3. General time plan of eclipse by Mr. Arthur Beverly. 



4. Silver print of totality by M. Cazneau, Wellington. 



5. Enlarged drawing from a negative in diameter of the totality, 

 photographed by Mr. Gell, Wellington. 



6. Sketch by Mr. J. Buchanan, F.L.S. 



7. Three sketches taken during totality at Wellington by Mr. T. 

 W. Kirk. These were taken in succession as marked 1, 2, 3, the sun 

 being intersected by a plumb-line, and disclose the remarkable feature 

 that the N.W. extension of the corona shifted its position with refe- 

 rence to the prominence. 



8. Generalised sketch from various sources, showing the outline of 

 the corona, the position and shape of the prominences, and the 

 positions, marked by red crosses, where vivid flashes of light were 

 seen at the moment of beginning and end of totality. All agree that 

 these flashes were like electric lights, and quite dazzling, the first 

 being large and round, while the last seen was small and pointed. 



9. Sketch of the large spirally twisted flame of the corona over the 

 N.W. quadrant, as sketched by Mr. H. P. Higginson, C.E., with a 



p 2 



