14i 
vided by the Government, the Royal and Royal Astronomi- 
cal Societies, for the observation of the various eclipses have 
either all been spent at the time, or the balances have been 
returned. As good work has been done with the apparatus 
referred to, it may be asked why anything different should 
be used. It was by mere accident that a lens of a certain 
kind was used in 1870, no other suitable was to be had, and 
the image obtained with it is small. Photogiuphy was not 
employed during the eclipse of 1874, almost the only obser- 
ver on that occasion being the Astronomer Royal at the Cape 
of Good Hope, Mr. Stone, who observed with the spectro- 
scope under the most favourable conditions, and it is much 
to be regretted that no photographs were obtained. On the 
occasion of the recent eclipse no preparations were made 
until the invitation from the King of Siam was received, and 
then, as on almost ever^r occasion since 1868, all arrangements 
have been hurriedly made. No apparatus for obtaining a 
picture of the corona different from what has been previously 
used was employed, and consequently no superior result 
may be anticipated. The lenses used in 1870 and since for 
photographing the corona give an image of the sun of about 
-/oths of an inch in diameter, and although suitable for small 
pictures, such lenses cannot be said to be the best for the 
purpose. I would suggest therefore that at least three 
achromatic lenses of 5 or 6 feet focal length, corrected for 
the actinic rays, should be constmcted, with all suitable 
apparatus, so as to be ready for use when required. The 
light of the corona is sufficiently actinic to produce good 
pictures when an instrument of long focus is used— it is 
only a question of time in the exposure and accuracy in the 
adjustment of the driving clock apparatus attached to the 
equatorial mounting. There cannot I think be any doubt 
that under favourable atmospheric conditions some features 
of interest would be revealed during every eclipse, and it is 
undesirable to allow any eclipse of the sun to occur without 
