The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-02 00:00:00

IXILANA

,TION

Barometer corrected and reduced to 32 deg. at sea level. The
letter r, rising ; f. falling ; a, steady—indicates direction of motion
of the mercury within last 14 hours. Thermometer exposed is
shade. Extreme Foge with its Direction during last 24 hours.
Z.—calm. Weather : co.—blue sky ; c.—clouds, detached ; f, - fog
h.—hail ; I.—lightning ; m.—misty, hazy ; o.—overcast, dull r.—
rain ; s.---snow ; t.—thunder. Rain-fall, snow or hail melted)
during last 24 hours. Sea disturbance.

REMARKS,
Since yesterday evening barometrical pressure has decreased with
great rapidity, especially on our eastern coast, where the fall amounts
to nearly 7-10ths of an inch, but decreases in a south-westerly direc-
tion. Readings in the E. aro now below 29in.. and that at Leith is
O'SSin. lower than that at Rochefort. Temperature has risen some-
what in the N. and E , and fallen again in the S. and W. Severe
gales from W. to N.W. have blown at all stations except those in the
N. and E during the past night, and are continuing this morning,
and blowing very hard. On the E. coast wind 13 fresh from the same
quarter. In the N. of Scotland, however, moderate N.E. wind is
reported. Rain has been general, with snow in the N. and E.,
thunder and lightning in the W. The sea is high in the Channel.

A serious fire took place on Sunday near Bromtord
i❑ Esex. A set of farm buildings and 13 valuable horses
were destroyed.

Mr. 11. E. C. Childers, M.P., the First Lord of
the Admiralty, hag resigned his post as a director of th'
Bank of Australasia.

The solicitors acting for " Sir Roger C. T. D.
Ticl,borne, Dart.," announce that they aro about applying
to the Court of Chancery to commit for contempt the pub-
lishers of a paper which has led the van in propagating
varicus injurious announcements respecting their client.

The Harnrshire grand jury yesterday ignored
the bill against the man Thompson, who was indicted for
bl:tsphemy. Thompson had distributed tracts setting forth
the c'aims of somehody to be considered as the Messiah, and
this "as the blasphemy complained of. A clergyman was
ihe prosecutor.

The Talke CoWay Accident Ili:lid Committee
have held a meei,ing in reference to the surplus funds at
Lair distp.El. They find that they may safely detach
£3,000 from the money in their bands, and they havo de-

:id, d to mike that sun the nucleus of a colliers porthanent
-OM fund for North Staffordshire.

Colonel 11. J. Shaw, the present governor of the

Herber; Ho,pital at Woolwich, retires from that post on the
31st of March, it having been decided that the appoiutmonl
is one for three years only. it is looked upon as somewhat
(loubtful whether the vacancy will be filled.
THE PRINCE AND THE PRINCESS OF WALES.—
We have reason to believe that their Royal llighnessu
the Prince and the Princess of Wales will return tc
England sooner than was expected. The hot weather i;
already setting in on the ll,tl l ea, and the river is ver3
low and somewhat unhealthy, so that it is thought
imprudent for the Princes to remain in that distri:t
long as she intended. No (I,,nbt their 11 yal IT:g' set
.vill make their homeward visits to the SuVan of Tullc,v
and the King of Greece.-- Eas.fe;•;l Morniny Xcw!

DISCOVERY IN SOLAR

PHYSICS.

The Daily 117cws records another important discovery in
solar physics, and thinks it the most important of all that
have of late been made in the chemistry of the sun. We
had learned the nature of the solar prominences from the
eclipse:expeditions last year ; then we had found that
these prominences can be examined spectroscopically with-
out the aid of an eclipse ; now the discovery has been
made that they can be seen without an eclipse. The
" double discovery," in ad e by Messrs. Janssen and Lockyer,
had given us what Sir John Herschel describes as
" a mode of rendering the protuberances sensible,
not visible." Its application to determine the shape of
these objects was tedious and difficult, and it did not seem
possible to apply it to determine the character of those
rapid changes of figure which the prominences have been
shewn to undergo. Now this prat of the lesson taught us
by these objects will be rendered available, since the
method just discovered will enable the astronomer to
watch a prominence at b's leisure, and to notice all those
whirling and waving motions which area suggested
by a comparison of Major Tennant's photographs
with the views obtained by observers in other places.
The eclipse expeditions had shewn that the light we
receive from the coloured prominences which surround the
sun belongs to the three special colours. Its spectrum
shewed a red line, an orange line, and a greenish blue line.
It was because the light is thus divided between three
definite spectral lines that it was possible to distinguish
its spectrum from that given by the sun's proper light,
which has been found to exceed that of the prominences
from 600 to 1,100 times. But was it to be hoped that
any method might be devised to enable us to see
the prominences ? It seems, at first sight, hopeless
to attempt this, since any means we may use for reducing
the solar light obliterate the prominences, and an experi-
ment made by the Astronomer Royal shewed that it is
hopeless to attempt to blot out the sun by a circular
screen of any sort, since the illumination of the atmo-
sphere remains, and effectually conceals the prominences.
But it had been shewn years ago by Sir David Brewster
that transparent bodies do not absorb the colours propor-
tionally. The light from the prominences belong to three
definite parts of the spectrum. What if, by a proper choice of
transparent glasses, we could obliterate all the rest of the
spectrum but those three parts, or even all but one of
those parts? Is it not clear that in that case the sun's
light would be obliterated, while the light from the
prominences would be visible? So that in such a case we
should actually see the same phenomenon as the observers of
the eclipse saw—that is, a ring of prominences and no
sun. It is, perhaps, hopeless to expect quite so
exact a sifting of the solar light as this ; but
it is not impossible to obtain an approach to it.
If we obtain a transparent glass which blots out a
great part of the spectrum without touching one of the
prominence lines, we have done something. If we obtain
another which blots out some other part and yet leaves
our line untouched, that is another step. And so,
by a proper choice of glasses, we may blot out so
much of the sun's light, without affecting the
light of the prominence, as to leave the latter visible.
The idea of doing this had occurred to Mr. Hug-
gins before the results of the eclipse expeditions
bad reached England. He obtained a great variety
of coloured glasses and other absorptive media.
He examined them with a prism to see what part of the
spectrum they absorbed, and then he combined them in
different ways. But, of course, as he had no knowledge
of the quality of the light which we actually receive from
the prominences, all this was in a sense guess-work.
But the observations of the eclipse of August
last, "having shewn the position in the spectrum
of the bright lines of the prominences," he re-
newed his observations with greater promise of
success. After various trials and combinations of coloured
media, he has at length succeeded in resolving the im-
portant Problem of seeing the solar prominences without
an eclipse. Nor let it be supposed that the credit due to
this achievement is in any sense lessened because the work
was founded upon the results previously obtained by the
eclipse expeditions.

GOLDIVIN SMITH ON TIIE UNIVERSITIES.-Pro-
fessor Gold;in Smith delivered a lecture on University
Education before the American Social Science Convention,
at Albany, on the 17th ult. Towards the conclusion of his
remarks he touched upon the subject of the education
of women, and said that the highest was that which
was best adapted for them. He objected to the
English university system of competitive examina-
tions for women, the effects of which were questionable
enough even in the case of men. Two points were to be
decided : first, whether it was desirable that women
should receive the same university education as men ;
second, whether it was desirable that they should receive
it at the same place. The two points were perfectly dis-
tinct, and the experiments ought to be tried successively,
and not at once. Vassar College appeared to be trying
the first in the most complete and satisfactory manner.
He thought it would be better to wait the result before
instituting a mixed university for both sexes.

A " DIFFICULTY" IN FLORIDA.—About three
o'clock yesterday afternoon a rapid succession of gun.
shots were heard about four miles in the country. Start-
ling intelligence was soon obtained of a desperate combat
between six men. There were three brothers on either
side, of the names of Braddock and Turner, who had culti.
vated inveterate hatred to each other for many years. The
result is it culminated in the death of one of the former
and two of the last-named. The most reckless bravery
was displayed on either side. The weapons used were
shotguns and rifles, which were used within ten feet distance
of each other, wounding or killing the whole party. Two
of the Turners were killed, one on the field, the other
flying wounded for his life. John Braddock fell by
the first shot. Dying, he exclaimed tolls brothers " Kill
the last one before he escapes." These were his last words.
The parties were neighbours, and considered good citizens.
The cause.of the trouble probably was a few hogs. As yet
no recognition has been taken by the civil authorities of
this tragic affair.—Dunn's Lake, Florida (January 30) ;
correspondence of the Macon Telegraph.

THE ANCIENT BRITAINS. —" The most honourable
and loyal Society of Ancient Britains" have just cele-
brated their 154th anniversary at Willh's Rooms, under'
the presidency of the Right Hon. the Earl Vane. The
chairman was supported by Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart.,
M.P., Lord E. Vane Tempest, General Brownrigg, C. 8.,
&c. This society has for its chief object the support of
schools for the education of Welsh children at Ashford,
in Middlesex. It appeared from the secretary's report
that no less than 2,402 boys and 756 girls have
been admitted upon the establishment and wholly
maintained in the house, and at the present
time there are 119 boys and 49 girls in the institution.
The expenditure in aid of the schools during the year
amounted to £3,850 10s. Bd., and the receipts had fallen
short of this sum by 288 16s. Bd. Subscriptions and dona-
tions were, however, announced in the room amounting to
about £BOO. The funds of the charity consist of £29,000
in Consols, and £23,000 in Three per Cents Reduced.
The uncertain property of the institution arises from lega-
cies, collections at this anniversary, donations, and annual
subscriptions.

DEATH OF LORD WYNFORD.—We have to record
the death of Lord Wynford, which took place at his lord-
ship's town residence, Park-place, St. James's-street,
about nine o'clock on Sunday morning. The deceased
nobleman was the second baron, and was born in 1798.
11 He was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he
graduated 8.A., 1818, M.A., 1821, in which latter year he
married the youngest daughter of William Thoyts, Esq.,
of Sulhamstead, near Reading. In 1823 he was called to
the bar at the Middle Temple ; and in 1837 he unsuccess-
fully contested the representation of Barnstaple. In 1845
his lordship succeeded to the title on the death of his
father, the first baron, who was directly descended, in a
female line from William Pitt, ancestor of the celebrated
Earl of Chatham ; and who was judge of the Queen's
Bench 1819.24, and Chief Justice of the Common
Pleas, 1824-29. The deceased nobleman is succeeded
by his son, the Hon. William Best, who is married to the
grand-daughter of the fifth Duke of Manchester. The
family seats are Leesons, Stapleburst, Kent ; and Wyn-
ford Eagle, Dorset.

MELANCHOLY DEATH OF A CLERGYMAN AT
OXFORD.—An inquest was held on Monday afternoon at
the residence of the Rev. Canon Payne Smith, at Christ
Church, Oxford, before the University Coroner, Mr. F.
Symonds, and a jury consisting of members of the Univer-
sity and matriculated persons, on the body of the Rev.
Glyd White, M.A., of Oriel College, and curate of Ewelme,
Oxfordshire, who expired on Sunday evening from the
effects of a fall down a flight of steps. The Veil. Archdeacon
Clarke acted as foreman of the jury. It appeared from the
evidence of Dr. Payne Smith, his butler, and Mr. Briscoe,
surgeon, that the deceased had been visiting the former at
Christ Church, and had lunched there about two o'clock on
Thursday. At a quarter before three Mr. Payne Smith's
butler found him at the bottom of the cellar stairs groan-
ing from the injuries he had received by the fall. With
the butler's assistance he walked upstairs, and was placed
on a sofa. Medical aid was at once procured, and it was
discovered that the unfortunate gentleman had received
severe injuries to the head, from the effects of which he
died on Sunday. It is supposed that the deceased mistook
the door, and was precipitated to the bottom of the steps,
falling on his head. The jury at once returned a verdict
of accidental death. Mr. White, who was 81 years of age,
had for some years acted as curate of Ewelme, which
living is attached to the Regius Professorship of Divinity
at Oxford.