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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
therefore, since the rays produced by burning iron, or magne- 
sium, or lithium, or other metals, are not transmitted through 
the vapours produced by the combustion of those metals, the 
solar spectrum gives us an extensive series of dark bands. 
That every black line in the solar spectrum represents rays 
emitted from some metallic body in a state of combustion in the 
Sun, is exceedingly doubtful. It has been already shown that 
many of the dark lines are due to the want of absolute trans- 
parency in our own atmosphere. But that Kirchoff’s mew of 
the coincidence of the black lines of the solar spectrum with 
the bright lines of terrestrial flames is a fair deduction from his 
experimental observations, must be admitted. 
At the same time as those inquiries by Kirchoff, Bunsen, and 
others, have been proceeding, investigations in another part 
have brought us corroborative evidence. The band of astrono- 
mical observers who went to Spain, to note with all accuracy 
the phenomena which might present themselves during the 
solar eclipse, bring us back evidence of tongues of flame, or 
clouds glowing- with the reflected lights of an intense com- 
bustion, coming strongly into view, when the bright light was 
obscured by the moon’s body. Professor Any states it as his 
belief that the sun is boiling up, and that the prominences 
observed were fumes given off.'* 
The photographs of Mr. Warren Be la Rue are invaluable as 
affording indisputable evidence of the existence of these 
“ pillars of fire.” Recently, that gentleman has brought his 
excellent appliances to bear on the unobscurecl Orb of Light, and 
his photographs confirm all the observations of Mr. Nasmyth. 
The Sun’s disc is covered by masses of curiously shaped and 
ever-moving forms, called by their discoverer (Mr. Nasmyth) 
“ Willow-leaves.” The inference is, that these are tongues of 
flame ever bursting from this incomprehensible mass, and 
dispersing Light, and its attendant forces, to all the planets. 
We advance, by the aid of optical science, of chemical experi- 
ment, and astronomical observation, to the deductions : — That the 
Sun is constituted of matter similar to that which we find in 
this world : That this matter is ever burning ; but, as Newton 
supposed, returning in a changed form into itself by the force 
of attraction in the mass : That the physical forces which are 
developed by those vast chemical changes are radiated in waves 
through space. 
In conclusion, that man should, by the power of mind, be 
enabled to extend his investigations from the Earth to the Sun, 
and determine the chemical composition of a body, millions of 
* Full details of this interesting phenomenon will he published in our next 
number, in an astronomical article, by Mr. James Breen, one of the observers 
referred to. — Ed. 
