prostrate on the ground, and prayed with earnestness, imagining that the Day of Judgment was come. From the tops of the Swiss mountains as many stars were seen as at the time of full moon. A peculiar colour overspread the sky resembling neither the darkness of night nor the mixed colours of the twilight sky. Even those who were prepared for the spectacle were appalled by the solemn gloom which fell upon the face of nature." Halley speaks in similar terms of the last total eclipse which was visible in London. It took place in the year 1715. "I forbear," says Halley, "to mention the chill and damp which attended the darkness of this eclipse, of which most spectators were sensible and equally judges. Nor shall I trouble you with the concern that appeared in all sorts of animals, birds, beasts, and fishes, upon the extinction of the sun, since ourselves could hardly behold it without some sense of horror." pellier; M. Carlini went to Milan, MM. Santini and Conti to Padua ; the Astronomer Royal went to Superga, Baily to Pavia; M. Schumacher and Littron awaited the eclipse at Vienna; and, lastly, the Russian observers, O. Struve and Schidlowski, went to Lipesk. All these observers were fortunate in obtaining excellent views of the phenomenon. We shall quote M. Arago's interesting description of the occurrence: — "At Perpignam, persons who were seriously unwell alone remained within doors. As soon as day began to break, the population covered the terraces and battlements of the town, as well as all the little eminences in the neighbourhood, in hopes of obtaining a view of the sun as he ascended above the horizon. At the citadel we had under our eyes, besides numerous groups of citizens established on the slopes, a body of soldiers about to be reviewed. The hour of the commencement of the eclipse drew nigh. More than twenty thousand persons, with smoked glasses in their hands, were examining the radiant globe projected upon an azure sky. Although armed with our powerful telescopes, we had hardly begun to discern the small notch on the western limb of the sun, when an immense exclamation, formed by the blending together of twenty thousand different voices, announced to us that we had anticipated, by only a few seconds, the observation made with the un The eclipse of May 2, 1738, is remarkable as being the first in which the singular appearances termed the "red prominences were observed. "Four spots of a reddish colour were seen near the limb of the moon, but not in immediate contact with it." The chief interest attending the observation of total eclipses is at present centred on these mysterious protuberances. It has been shown very clearly that they belong to the sun, but what they may be, or what tremen-aided eye by twenty thousand astronomers dous processes going on within his atmosphere they may be held to indicate, remains as yet unknown. It is hoped that the long duration of the totality of the approaching eclipse, and the circumstance that it will be possible to observe the eclipse at several points along the shadow's track (which it will be remembered is upwards of 8,000 miles long) will enable astronomers to gain some knowledge respecting the red prominences. Yet more hopeful is the fact that now, for the first time, the subtle analytical power of the most wonderful instrument of research yet invented-the spectroscope will be applied to examine these strange solar excrescences. equipped for the occasion, whose first essay this was. A lively curiosity, a spirit of emulation, the desire of not being outdone, had the privilege of giving to the natural vision an unusual power of penetration. During the interval that elapsed between this moment and the almost total disappearance of the sun, we remarked nothing worthy of relation in the countenances of so many spectators. But when the sun, reduced to a very narrow filament, began to throw upon the horizon only a very feeble light, a sort of uneasiness seized upon all; every person felt a desire to communicate his impressions to those around him. Hence arose a deep murmur, resembling that sent We pass over several total eclipses to forth by the distant ocean after a tempest. come to the first of those which have been The hum of voices increased in intensity as made the object of scientific expeditions. the solar crescent grew more slender; at The eclipse of July 8, 1842, which was visible length the crescent disappeared, darkness in the north of Italy, and in parts of France, suddenly succeeded light, and an absolute Germany, and Russia, aroused an intense in- silence marked this phase of the eclipse, terest among European astronomers. The with as great precision as did the pendulum leading observers of France, Italy, England, of our astronomical clock. The phenomeGermany, and Russia repaired to various non in its magnificence had triumphed over suitable stations along the track of central the petulance of youth, over the levity which eclipse. M. Arago went to Perpignam, certain persons assume as a sign of superiM. Valz to Marseilles, M. Petit to Mont-ority, over the noisy indifference of which soldiers usually make profession. A profound stillness also reigned in the air; the birds had ceased to sing. After an interval of solemn expectation, which lasted about two minutes, transports of joy, shouts of enthusiastic applause, saluted with the same accord, the same spontaneous feeling, the first reappearance of the rays of the sun. To a condition of melancholy, produced by sentiments of an indefinable nature, there succeeded a lively and intelligible feeling of satisfaction, which no one sought to escape from or moderate the impulses of; to the majority of the public the phenomenon had arrived at its term. The other phases of the eclipse had few attentive spectators, beyond the persons specially devoted to astronomical pursuits." M. Arago quotes also a beautiful anecdote in illustration of the peculiar influence produced by the total eclipse of the sun's light, and of the joy which springs unbidden to the heart at the return of his beams. A little girl was watching her flock when the sun began to be darkened. As it gradually lost its light she became more and more distressed, and when at length it disappeared altogether her terror was so great that she began to weep and to cry out for help. "Her tears were still flowing when the sun sent forth his first ray. Reassured by his light, the child signed herself with the cross, exclaiming, in the patois of the province, Oh, beou Souleou!' (oh, beau soleil!)" Remarkable effects were produced on birds and animals by the sudden darkness. Bats and owls came out from their retreats; domestic fowl went to roost; and swallows were seized with so great a terror that in some places they were caught in the streets. A herd of cattle grazing in the fields near Montpellier" formed themselves into a circle, their heads directed outwards. as if to resist an attack." Horses and oxen employed in the fields ceased from their labours when the sun was totally eclipsed, and lay down, neither whip nor spur availing to induce them to resume their work until the sun's light returned. On the other hand, M. Arago states that “the horses employed in the diligences continued to pursue their courses without seeming to be in the slightest degree affected by the phenomenon." During this eclipse, also, it was noticed that several plants closed their. leaves. The close accordance between the calculations of mathematicians and the observed circumstances of the eclipse excited great attention, and led scientific as well as unlearned men to contemplate with admiration the perfection and regularity of the "All movements of the celestial bodies. the accounts respecting this eclipse," says Signor Piola, "contain reflections on the perfection of that great machine of the universe, whose movements are so regular that the astronomer is enabled, long beforehand, to predict their effects with unfailing precision; and from contemplating the machine, it was natural to ascend to the Supreme Artificer. While this idea swells in the mind there is another which at the same time sinks into insignificance, that suggested by contemplating the position of man in the midst of creation. The magnificence of the scale upon which the phenomena of the eclipse, whether atmospheric or celestial, took place, was patent to every spectator. The extensive coloration of an unusual hue that was visible; the rapid changes which occurred; above all, the obscurity which settled over nature like the funereal pall thrown over a dead body, and whose subsequent withdrawal in an instant operated like a resurrection; all this produced on the mind a mixture of profound and indefinable impressions which it will be pleasing to hold long in remembrance." And here we may digress for a moment to remark how unworthy of the philosopher and student of nature is that spirit which leads men to look with less admiration on natural phenomena that have received their interpretation from the labours of scientific men. No mystery of nature has ever yet been unveiled without disclosing what is yet more mysterious. Corpernicus revealed the secret of the solar system, to leave undetected the laws which harmonize the planetary motions. It was Kepler's boast that he had revealed these laws, but he left men to admire without understanding their perfection and harmony. Then Newton upraised the veil and disclosed to our admiration the noble law of gravitation which sways all systems through the universe. But we have more now to perplex us, more to reveal to us the insignificance of our powers, more to make us fall in reverence and adoration before the Supreme Architect, than had the simple Chaldæan shepherds, who Watched from the centres of their sleeping flocks Those radiant Mercuries, that seemed to move, Carrying through æther, in perpetual round, Decrees and resolutions of the gods. If our higher knowledge of the mysteries of nature should lead us to have less of reverence and love for the Author of those mysteries, it would have been better to have never gained that higher knowledge. Our words and works should be worthy of our new light. If men in the old times which we scoff at as the dark ages knew how to worship their Almighty Father with loving, childlike reverence, and if we in the pride of our imperfect knowledge find it less easy to do so, it is we who are in darkness. Tennyson supplies a necessary caution to this age of somewhat sceptical inquiry, in the noble words, Let knowledge grow from more to more, We mock Thee when we do not fear : Since the total eclipse of 1842 there have only occurred two which have attracted special notice among European astronomers. One is the eclipse of July 28, 1851, which was visible in Sweden; the other is the eclipse of July 18, 1860, which was visible in Spain, and led to the interesting "Himalaya expedition." The totality lasted nearly twice as long in the eclipse of 1851 as in that of 1842. The Astronomer Royal, who had witnessed the earlier eclipse, was one of a distinguished company which left England for Sweden to observe the eclipse of 1851. "I have no means of ascertaining," he writes, "whether the darkness really was greater in the eclipse of 1842. I am inclined to think that in the wonderful, and I may say appalling, obscurity, I saw the grey granite hills, within sight of Hvaläs, more distinctly than the darker country surrounding the Superga. But whether because, in 1851, the sky was much less clouded than in 1842, (so that the transition was from a more luminous state of sky to a darkness nearly equal in both cases,) or from whatever cause, the suddenness of the darkness in 1851 appeared to be much more striking than in 1842. My friends who were on the upper rock, to which the path was very good, had great difficulty in descending. A eandle had been lighted in a lantern about a quarter of an hour before the totality; and M. Hasselgren was unable to read the minutes of the chronometer's face without having the lantern held close to the chronometer." During this eclipse the red prominences were seen with remarkable distinctness. Airy at Gottenburg, Hind and Dawes at Ravelsburg, Lassell at the Trollhätten Falls, and other observers, took drawings of these remarkable appearances; and the agreement between the drawings is such as to leave no doubt of the care with which these observers examined and recorded what they saw. Round one part of the black limb of the moon there was seen a serrated band of rose-pink light, in another place a pyramidal red mountain, in a third a curved streak of red light formed like a Turkish scimitar, and in a fourth a red detached cloud, which Airy and Lassell picture as nearly circular in form, while Hind and Dawes represent it as triangular. No doubt could exist that these objects belonged to the sun and not to the moon, since the moon was seen to traverse them; insomuch that on the side towards which she was moving their altitude diminished, while on the opposite side they grew larger until the appearance of the sun's disc in this neighbourhood obliterated them through excess of light. 66 The observers were especially struck by the perfect distinctness with which these remarkable appearances were exhibited. "I had heard them described as but faint phenomena," says Lassell. 'My surprise and astonishment may therefore be well imagined when the view presented itself to my eyes which I am about to describe. In the middle of the (telescopic) field was the body of the moon, rendered visible enough by the light of the corona attended by the apparent projections. These prominences were of the most brilliant lake colour, splendid pink quite defined and hard. They appeared to me to be not quiescent; but the moon passing over them, and therefore exhibiting them in different phase, might convey an idea of motion. They were evidently to my senses belonging to the sun, and not at all to the moon; for, especially on the western side of the sun, I observed that the moon passed over them, revealing successive portions of them as it advanced. In conformity with this observation also, I observed only the summit of one on the eastern side, though my friends, observing in adjoining rooms, had seen at least two; the time occupied by me in observing with the naked eye not having allowed me to repair again to the telescope until the moon had covered one and three-fourths of the other. The first burst of light from the emergent sun was exactly in the place of the chief western flame, which it instantly extinguished." When we consider the actual dimensions of these prominences we are enabled to form some conception of the importance of the problem which they present to astronomers and physicists. The scimitar shaped protuberance was estimated to extend fully one-twelfth part of the sun's diameter from his surface. His diameter is known to be eight hundred and fifty thousand miles, so | formed during the two former eclipses. It that the height of this singular object was is not often that the same observer-and fully seventy thousand miles, or nearly three that observer so skilful and eminent - has times the circumference of our globe. Con- the opportunity of contrasting together three sider, again, the long serrated ridge extend- total eclipses of the sun. In fact, we doubt ing around nearly a quarter of the sun's cir- very much whether any similar case is on cumference. This ridge was about twenty- record. Hence, a peculiar value attaches five thousand miles high. Now many of to Mr. Airy's remarks. "On the progress our readers have doubtless seen the ranges of the eclipse," he says, "I have nothing to of the Alps as they appear when seen from remark, except that I thought the singular some distant point in clear weather, and darkening of the landscape, whose character they know how imposing is the aspect of is peculiar to an eclipse, to be sadder than these gigantic land-masses. Yet the high- usual. The cause of this peculiar characest peaks of the Alps are little more than ter I conceive to be the diminution of light fifteen thousand feet above the sea-level. in the higher strata of the air. When the Imagine, then, the magnificence of moun- sun is heavily clouded, still the upper atmostain ranges twenty-five thousand miles above phere is brilliantly illuminated, and the difthe mean level of the sun's surface. And fused light which comes from it is agreeable then note that the masses which present this to the eye. But when the sun is partially ridgelike aspect were not really ridges. We eclipsed, the illumination of the atmosphere doubtless see the side-view of a portion of for many miles round is also diminished, and immense tracts rising in wave-like_masses the eye is oppressed by the absence of the over the solar globe. Consider also that light which usually comes from it. all these masses must subsist at an incon- I had a wax-candle lighted in a lantern, as ceivably high temperature - a temperature I have had at preceding total eclipses. Corat which nearly every substance known upon recting the appreciations of my eye by referour earth would be not merely liquefied but ence to this, I found that the darkness of the vaporised. approaching totality was much less striking than in the eclipses of 1842 and 1851. In my anxiety to lose nothing at the telescope, I did not see the approach of the dark shadow through the air; but, from what I afterwards saw of its retreat, I am sure it must have been very awful." "About the middle of the totality I ceased my measures for a while, in order to view the prospect with the naked eye. The general light appeared to me much greater than in the eclipses of 1842 and 1851 (one cloudy, the other hazy) perhaps ten times as great; I believe I could have read a chronometer at the distance of twelve inches; nevertheless, it was not easy to walk where the ground was in the least uneven, and much attention to the footing was necessary. The outlines of the mountains were clear, but all distances were totally lost; they were, in fact, in an undivided mass of black to within a small distance of the spectator. Above these, to the height perhaps of six or eight degrees, and especially remarkable on the north side, was a bright yellow, or orange, sky, without any trace of the lovely blush which I saw in 1851. Higher still the sky was moderately dark, but not so dark as in former eclipses." But if these considerations are startling, what shall we say of the globe of ruddy matter suspended high above the solar surface? This globe had a diameter at least double that of our own earth, and therefore exceeded our earth eight times in volume. And, again, it hung suspended at a height of full twenty thousand miles from the surface of the sun. What sort of an atmosphere must that be in which globes of this sort float as buoyantly as the clouds which fleck our summer skies? and how intensely active must all the processes be which are at work in the solar atmosphere when volumes so immense are maintained at the intense heat which the colour and buoyancy of the prominences, as well as their proximity to the sun, prove them to possess ! During the eclipse of 1860, the red prominences again attracted a great deal of attention among astronomers. It will be remembered that many leading English astronomers, amongst whom the Astronomer Royal again figured, took part in the celebrated Himalaya expedition. MM. Leverrier and Goldschmidt of Paris, the Padre Secchi of Rome, and a host of astronomical celebrities, took part in observing the various phenomena, astronomical, physical, and meteorological, which attended the totality of this important eclipse. It is interesting, in the first place, to compare Mr. Airy's impressions as to the general effect of the totality with those which he more diluted at the roots of the prominences display in the shape of a fan, which gave to close to the moon's limb than in the most the protuberance a real resemblance to a elevated points." chandelier. Its base, which at the com It is important that we should here re-mencement of the totality was noticed to be mark in passing that the red prominences very decidedly on the black limb of the do not necessarily or probably spring from moon, became slightly less attached, and the sun's surface, as a mountain from the the whole took an appearance more ethereal surface of the earth. Masses suspended in or vapourish." M. Goldschmidt observed the solar atmosphere would appear as prom-that the small jets of light disappeared as inences resembling mountains, unless they soon as the sun's rays became visible, but happened to be of comparatively moderate the prominence itself remained distinctly extent, and were seen in such a position that visible nearly five minutes after the reapthe space between them and the sun's sur-pearance of the sun. The rest of M. Goldface became perceptible. Those serrated schmidt's account corresponds closely with ridges, therefore, that we see may belong what is described by other observers. We to the upper surfaces of masses suspended may remark that his opinion respecting the high above the true surface of the sun. hollowness of his "chandelier-prominence" And since there have been cases in which seems founded on very insufficient evidence. the red matter has been seen to be suspended The transparence of the outer parts of the at a great distance from the sun, it seems prominence is a proof rather that the cennot improbable that all the so-called promi-tral parts were denser than that the prominences are similarly circumstanced. nence was hollow. But all that M. Goldschmidt says that he observed may be accepted with the fullest confidence, though no other observer has described similar appearances; for there has seldom lived so acute and skilful an observer as this astronomer. He was well known to fame as the discoverer of no less than thirteen asteroids, and numbers of nebula and variable stars. Before proceeding, however, to inquire a little into the probable constitution of these marvellous objects, it will be well to give a brief description of what was seen by Continental observers during the last great eclipse. Leverrier says that the first object which he saw in the telescopic field of view when totality had commenced, was "an isolated cloud, entirely separated from the The Padre Secchi, of the Collegio Romoon's limb by a space equal to its own mano, remarks of one protuberance, that size." He adds, that the colour of the the point was "rather slender and curved, cloud was a fine rose, tinged with violet, resembling a flame somewhat agitated." and almost white in some parts through ex- He remarked that as the moon passed across ceeding brilliancy. Near this cloud were the solar disc so many luminous points aptwo others, one above the other, the upper peared on the following edge of the black being the smaller; these were very une- disc that he was embarrassed which to choose qually illuminated. Elsewhere he saw two for observation and measurement. elevated prominences close to each other, prominences increased in size as the moon and in another part a protuberance resem-glided forwards, and he “saw, with surprise, bling a tooth. Returning to the point an almost continuous arc of purple light inwhere he had seen two clouds, he found stantaneously formed, composed of small them unaltered in figure. He now directed his attention to the part of the moon's limb behind which the sun was about to appear. Here he saw a long ridge of reddish purple colour, having a serrated outline. The protuberances, in that part of the lunar disc where the reappearance of the sun was expected." He remarks that his observations have convinced him that the protuberances are connected with the sun, and that it is absurd to assert the contrary." 66 It appears to us that very little doubt can exist as to the general character of the red prominences, though we are very far from asserting that their exact constitution can be readily determined. M. Goldschmidt describes the appearance of one of the rose-coloured prominences in the following terms: "The most imposing, as well as complicated of the prominences, which I will call the chandelier, was grand beyond description. It rose up from the limb, appearing like slender tongues In the first place, it is tolerably clear that of fire, and of a rose colour, its edges pur- they are not fixed in position. No motion ple and transparent, allowing the interior has, indeed, been observed in them during of the prominence to be seen; in fact, I the short time that they have continued visicould see distinctly that the protuberance ble in total eclipses. But we know that was hollow. Shortly before the end of the totality I saw escape from the rose-coloured and transparent sheaves of light a slight the whole of the sun's surface is in a state of continual agitation. The spots break out, vary in form, expand, contract, ex |