68 



Anniversary Meeting. 



[Nov. 30, 



for the purpose of making observations during the solar eclipse of the 

 5th of May, 1883 ; and the President was requested to communicate 

 his views upon the subject to the Treasury. 



After careful consideration, the President and Council reported in 

 favour of the projected expedition ; but they added that they did so on 

 condition of its being possible to find some one, whose position in the 

 scientific world would command the confidence of the public, to take 

 charge of the expedition. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, 

 none of the men of science who fulfilled this condition were able to 

 go ; and, at the meeting of Council of the 18th of January, the pro- 

 jected expedition was abandoned. The President was, however, re- 

 quested to place himself in communication with the American 

 authorities, and to ascertain from them whether a photographer and 

 assistant could be allowed to accompany their expedition to Caroline 

 Island. On doing so, he at once received an invitation for two 

 observers ; who were accordingly sent out, their expenses being 

 defrayed, partly, by a contribution from the Government Grant and, 

 partly, by a special sum of £500 provided by the Treasury. 



I am indebted to Mr. Lockyer for the following list of photographs 

 taken by the observers :■ — 



" 1. Six good photographs of the corona, exposures varying from 

 two to sixty seconds, giving coronal detail from near the limb to end 

 of streamers. That the limit of the corona has been photographed is 

 shown by the manner in which the light of the sky has impressed 

 itself on the plate. 



" 2. Three large photographs showing the details of the corona close 

 to the limb. 



"3. Good photographs of the spectrum of the corona, showing a 

 great number of coronal lines and very faint Fraunhoferic lines. 



" 4. Photographs taken on a moving plate in integrating spectro- 

 scope, from one minute before to one and a half minute after totality, 

 showing the most prominent lines of the reversion spectrum. These 

 lines belong mainly to hydrogen. 



" 5. Photographs taken with first-order grating, before, during, and 

 after totality. These show H and K, near the limb, throughout the 

 whole of totality. 



" 6. Photographs taken with a dense prism spectroscope before, 

 during, and after totality. These photographs also give some of the 

 prominent lines of the reversion spectrum. 



" 7. Two photographs taken in the prismatic camera on plates sensi- 

 tive to ultra-red rays. Results comparatively indifferent on account 

 of the absence of prominences." 



The arrangements made for obtaining a series of Circumpolar 

 Observations in Meteorology and Magnetism were' fully described 

 in the Presidential Address of last year. I am glad to be able to 



