358 
REV. S. J. PERRY OR THE TOTAL 
captain’s coxswain was counting the time aloud during the whole of totality, the 
seconds beinof taken from Mr. Maunder’s clock. 
When totality commenced, the slit of the spectroscope was radial on the inner 
edge of the corona, near the centre of the line where the thin crescent had just been 
visible; no carbon bands could be perceived. The slit was then moved successiv^elyto 
distances Od, 0’2, 0'3, Od and 0'5 of a solar diameter from the Moon's dark limb as 
190^ 180h I70h IGO,® and 150® were called by the coxswain. All this time I kept 
my eye steadily at the viewing telescope, but could see nothing of the carbon bands. 
The slit was then moved to the vicinity of one of the Sun’s poles, and placed 
tangentially on the inner edge of the corona at 130® before the end of totality. 
Afterwards it was gradually shifted away from the Moon’s limb, the distances being 
0‘1, 0'2, 0'4, and 0‘5 of a diameter, at 120®, 110®, 100®, and 90® respectively, and in 
none of these positions conld I catch the slightest trace of the bands of carbon. 
Thinking it hopeless to continue any longer the search for carbon, and wishing to 
be prepared in good time for the observation of the bright lines at the end of totality, 
I asked Lieutenant Helby to place the slit at once radial at the point of re-appearance 
of the photosphere. Whilst this was being done, I took up a powerful binocular, 
which I had placed for this purpose close at hand, and view'ed for a moment the 
eclipsed Sun. The upper rays on the western limb, to the right and left of the 
vertical line, were by far the longest streamers, and were situated almost at right 
angles to each other, a third, Imt shorter, ray appearing between them to the left of 
the vertical diameter. These rays were all well defined, and the one most to the 
North of West was curved on both sides like a leaf On the Eastern, or lower, limb 
the rays were irregular and less extended tlian in the West. I did not notice any 
rays near the poles, but my view was scarcely more than an instantaneoirs glance. 
At this moment Lieutenant Helby lost the solar imao-e from an irreoular move- 
O O 
ment of the telescope, but I vms able to recover it almost immediately. Whilst thus 
replacing the Sun upon the slit, I obtained a hasty view of the corona upon the 
white enamelled cap, and this picture far surpassed in beauty anything I had seen 
before, although my binocular is an excellent instrument. The details of the 
streamers, and the short red prominences, were exceedingly well defined, showing the 
splendid qnality of the Alvan Clark objectiv-e and the purity of the sky at the 
moment. 
When the coxswain had called out 20®, the slit being radial near the point of 
re-appearance, I saw a large number of lines flash out in my limited field of view : 
there might have been fifty altogether between W.L. 5600 and h. This lasted only a 
very short time, and after totality no lines were seen, as the rising wind interfered 
considerably with the steadiness of the telescope, and in a few minutes we were again 
deluged with rain. The clarkne.'S was never much less than that of a fair moonlight 
night, but during totality the light was not equal to that of a full Moon in a clear 
sky. Heavy rain prevented the observation of last contact. 
