98 



of total darkness seems scarcely to have endured for an instant 

 after the beginning of the Sun's emersion. 



On the contrary, the light joining the cusps of the uneclipsed 

 portion of the Sun's disc in the other instances, (in which the 

 eclipse was annular, or tchen, had it been sufficiently near to central 

 it wotdd have been annular,) exhibited itself at a time when a con- 

 siderable portion of the Sun's disc was uncovered. The variety, 

 which in this respect its several appearances have presented, is, 

 also, not unworthy of notice. It moreover deserves particular at- 

 tention that it has, as yet, (from all that appears in any of the 

 above mentioned instances) been seen to border only the western or 

 southern limb of the Moon, but not in any case its eastern. The 

 same remark will also apply to the blood-red tinge of light in the 

 case of either of the total eclipses in which it was noticed ; 

 whereas, the fainter gleam of light, which appeared during the 

 existence of this latter phenomenon, encircled the whole of the 

 Moon's disc ; being, according to some observers, concentric with 

 it, and, according to others, concentric with that of the Sun. 



These phenomena, although they present a subject for investi- 

 gation at once curious and interesting, seem not as yet to have 

 been observed with all that care which is requisite in order that 

 their investigation may lead to results which shall be, to any 

 considerable extent, satisfactory. It is therefore respectfully sug- 

 gested, that the favorable opportunities presented to the observers 

 of this country, who may be permitted to witness the total eclipse 

 of 1834, or the extensively annular eclipse of 1838,* should not 

 be suffered to pass unimproved. The time at which any peculiar 

 phenomenon of the kind in question may first appear^ should be 

 carefully noted, as also the time of its disappearance, and the dis- 

 tance of the cusps of the uneclipsed portion of the Sun's disc, (at 

 each of these periods) should any part of it then be exposed; and, 

 should any part of the solar disc be seen entirely separated from 

 he rest (especially if its edge remain well defined) then the time 

 dunng which this appearance lasts should also be noted, as afford- 

 ing a datura for the computation of the height of the lunar moon- 

 tarns, such, as has very seldom been used for that purpose. 



18^1^ Mr. Paine', catalogue of eclipses, in the American Almanac for 



