354 
ME. WABKEN DE LA EUE ON THE 
and fortunately the wind was blowing from the position of the fire towards the thrash- 
ing-floor ; otherwise but a few minutes only could have elapsed before the conflagration 
would have assumed such dimensions as to be beyond the power of man to control. 
Happily, a few seconds after the occurrence, the crackling sound and the smell of 
burning straw drew my attention to the spot, and, water being at hand, the fire was got 
under before it had spread more than a few feet. 
The Alcalde of Miranda had intimated to me, a few days before, that he was in- 
structed to place at my disposal as many of the civic guard as I might think necesr 
sary to prevent interruption; but my experience of the consideration evinced by the 
Spaniards was such, that I replied that one or two would be quite sufficient. Shortly 
before the commencement of the eclipse, there arrived five mounted guards, who were 
of great use in preventing the crowd from encroaching on the thrashing-floor, which an 
excusable curiosity to watch our proceedings tempted them often to do. It is right to 
add that I could not persuade the guards to take any present whatever, their reply 
being that their orders on this head were imperative, and that, moreover, they had felt 
pleasure in being of service. When we were on the point of commencing our observa- 
tions, about 200 persons had assembled round our observatory, and, although they con- 
ducted themselves perfectly well in other respects, their talking quite prevented my 
hearing the beats of the chronometer. They seemed to think that the eclipse could 
only be seen from my station ; and it was with some difficulty that a number were per- 
suaded to go to an adjoining height, whence the efiects on the landscape and the 
progress of the shadow could really be better observed. I explained this, through the 
kindness of a gentleman from Miranda who spoke French, and who showed his faith in 
what I stated by leading the way. The Alcalde of Rivabellosa, CiviLO Guinea, to whom 
I was indebted for facilitating my operations, explained to those who remained around 
the station the necessity for silence, and they thenceforth carried on their conversation 
in a tone which caused us no inconvenience. It is indeed impossible to speak too highly 
of the good feeling manifested throughout by the Spaniards of all grades, who endea- 
voured in every way to promote our objects. 
Owing to my pocket chronometer having tripped, and become many minutes fast of 
Greenwich mean time, some confusion arose about the period of first contact, and a 
photograph, which it was intended to procure as close as possible to that event, was lost 
in consequence of the plates being prepared too soon, and none being ready when it 
actually took place. The error of the pocket chronometer was only discovered when it 
was too late, and it was then found to be faster than Frodsham 3094 by 8 min. 11 sec. 
The first contact was observed at 1 h. 56 min. 55 beats. 
h ni sec. 
5 beats to 2 seconds 1 56 22 
m sec. 
Error, fast of Frodsham 811 
Error, Frodsham fast of Greenwich mean time . . . 4’4 8 15'4 
Making the observed Greenwich mean time of first contact to be 1 48 6'6 
