426 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
without a cloud in the sky, almost no wind, and barometer high. 
At 10.45 a.m., when I first noticed the phenomenon, the sky was 
covered with a very thin uniform white haze, and no clouds visible. 
“ When first observed, the large circle which passed through the 
sun was complete, but only the upper half of the small circle 
which surrounded the sun was visible. There was no colour in 
the large circle, but the small circle was fringed with colour, the 
outside being of a bluish-violet tint, the inside reddish. In the 
centre of the band, between the two colours, no colour could be 
distinguished ; it looked pure white. On each side of the small 
circle there was a short strip of colour, cutting the large circle at 
an acute angle. This short band was visible on the white band 
of the large circle, and only extended to a short distance on each 
side of it. The small coloured circle was never very perfect, only 
the top part remained steadily brilliant, and at this part the colours 
were more brilliant than at any other part. The sides were par- 
ticularly always rather undefined. , 
“ For part of the time, while the phenomenon lasted, there was an 
extraordinary change in its appearance. There appeared to be 
two circles of nearly the same diameter surrounding the sun, 
neither of which was concentric with the sun, and were separated 
from each other horizontally, as shown in the lower of the two 
sketches. While this was the case the circles were never com- 
plete, only little more than the upper halves of them being visible. 
Another curious point was that the coloured circle did not seem a 
perfect circle. The horizontal axis seemed longer than the ver- 
tical; but of this I am not certain, as I had no instruments to take 
any measurements. The only means of observation I had was a 
circular piece of paper I hurriedly cut, and held between my eye 
and the sun, in such a position that the sun shone through a small 
hole in the centre. Wiien this disc was held at such a distance 
from the eye that the upper part of the coloured circle was just 
seen past the edge, the lower part and the sides were seen to pro- 
ject some distance beyond it. 
“ About 11.5 a.m. the haze began to collect into clouds, and the 
phenomenon ended at 11.20. As the day advanced, clouds con 
tinned to form, and rain began to descend at 2 p.m. Towards 
evening it became very wet, and it continued to rain every day for 
more than a week.” 
