440 ME. J. N. LOCKTEE ON SPECTEOSCOPIC OBSEEYATIONS OE THE SUN. 
(II.) that it is not the Corona, (III.) that it is the locus of the general absorption of the 
photospheric light, and (IV.) that its height is about 3" -3 — an immense step in advance, 
as we now know, on the ideas of Arago. At the same time M. Liais was convinced that 
the Corona was in reality a solar appendage. 
The famous Spanish eclipse of 1860 is next on the list. Mr. De La Rue’s admirable 
photographs have made us all familiar with the solar appendages then visible. Specially 
to be noticed in them are the points where the limbs of the sun and moon were nearly 
in contact both at the commencement and at the end of the totality. 
In discussing the results of this eclipse, both M. Le Yerrier and Father Secchi found 
themselves compelled to use the word “ envelope ” to explain all the phenomena observed. 
M. Le Verrier*, after a preliminary discussion of the results of this eclipse, remarked, 
“ Faut il croire que la surface entiere de l’astre en (nuages rouges) est parsemee jusqu’a 
une faible hauteur comme elle est semee de facules, et que les nuages roses en sont des 
emanations commes les taches qui apparaissent sur la disque de 1’astre.” 
And then, after a more complete discussion, he endorses the idea of the complete con- 
tinuity of the envelope, and makes it at the same time not only the only solar atmo- 
sphere, but the origin of spots ! ! 
After referring to Herschel’s hypothesis, and remarking “ a cette constitution si com- 
plexe on eut du ajouter une troisieme enveloppe formee de l’ ensemble des nuages roses,” 
he goes on, “ or je crains que la plupart de ces enveloppes ne sont de pures fictions; que 
le soleil ne soit simplement un corps lumineux, en raison de sa haute temperature, et 
recouvertpar une couche continue de la matiere rose dont on commit aujourd’hui l’exist- 
ence. L’astre, ainsi prive d’un corps central, liquide ou solide, recouvert d’un atmosphere 
rentre dans la loi commune de la constitution des corps celestes II parait 
clair qu’ils (les protuberances roses) emanent accidentellement d’une couche de matiere 
qui recouvre toute la surface du soleil jusqu’a une hauteur de 8 a 10 secondes. . . ” 
M. Le Yerrier then proceeds to show, as we have seen M. Swan - and M. Liais do many 
years before, that the darkening of the limb is due to this envelope, and then adds, 
“ D’un autre cote il resulte de l’observation des nuages solaires que la matiere de l’atmo- 
sphere s’accumule quelquefois en quantites plus considerables sur certains points, et comme 
la lumiere de la partie correspondante du soleil peut se trouver plus ou moins eteinte, 
on arrive a une explication naturelle de l’existence des taches !” 
We see, then, that the French results of the eclipse of 1860 entirely endorsed Mr. 
Swan’s assertion of the continuity of the cloudy envelope, although the hypothesis put 
forward to explain the envelope was completely discordant with observation then and 
is much more so now. 
Father Secchi’s idea will be rendered evident by the following extract from his report 
contained in the memoirs of the Observatory of the Collegio Romano f : — 
“ La seconda conseguenza, non meno importante e, che questa materia riveste tutta la 
* Eeport quoted in Comptes Eendus, February 8, 1869, page 310. 
f New Series, 1860-62, yol. ii. No. 5, p. 43. 
