Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-09-06
OBSERVATION OF THE LATE ECLIPSE.

\ We copy from the Boston Traveller the follow
ing extract from the letter of Mr.. GRoRsE P. BOND
of the University of Cambridge, describing the
great eclipse of July %, as observed by him al
/ lila Edet in Norway. This place is situated on
the western border of Lake Wennern, sixty or
seventy miles north of Goe.henburgh. It is de-
scribed by Mr. Bond as a wild, remote place,
+. surrounded with rocky hills and woods, where
the bears and wolves still roam;'' but adds we
found kind friends, who were never satisfied with
out they were doing something for u.s." Mr..
Bond arrived at this place previously to the day of
the eclipse, and made his preparations for the OBJ
servaton, and he did not take his departure thence
until the 3lst. Great anxiety was felt by him lest
the weather should prove unfavorable. On the
morning Of the 9th the weather was fine, hut in
the evening and the following morning it raned
and at IL o'clock the sun was still obscured by
clouds AT two, an hour before the commence
ment of the eclipse, the clouds began to break
away, and at length all anxiety was removed. The
folio wing is Mr.. Bonds description of the eclipse:
sMy telescope placed the very summit, but afer-
wards removed it under the shelter Of large rock avoid
the annoy ance of brisk breeze from the southwe which
time troublesome but the coming Of the dark
seemed produce the singular eject of hushng the
winds into silence for the moment Of tosay preceded by
calm, like that which often marks the approach Of thun-
der Storm
'For the first contact. which presented little interest,
watched long time in uneasy position after losing the
twice in the Clouds observed il tolsrsbly WELL
Meanwhile the sky clearing delightfully."- heavy bank
of crros,raus in the rising slowly that |,
now nearly certain that should have fuIfment Of all
that could WISH The telescope placed close the
ground, and made perfectly firm with stones piled on its
tripod.
As the period during which all the important pheno-
expected TO take place was but four minutes
had drawn up memorandum of the objects which the at
tenton be directed during this interval This was
read for the last time, my memorandum book, diagram
cards. and pencil made ready had supposed being so
the village that might be subjected annoyance
from the curiosity OF the Villagers but they kept away pur
posey that they might trouble They could not have
conferred more acceptable favor Two young came
up at the commencement but left To one Of them
much obliged for arranging for most comfortable
rest for my head in front Of The eyepiece Particular pains
taken easy comfortable position and 10
this attribute much Of the certainty and dsnctness with
which the approaching phenomena. lay full length
the turf the eye piece of the telescope only foot from the
ground.
GAS the time drew near when the moon was to completely
the sun, the clouds dispersed entirely from m
hood leaving thin veil of cirrus which, without question:
often accompanies the most perfect vision Such for instance
the the night when established the fact Of the
ring of Saturn. /, had similar effect, for the
definition of the edges of the and remarkably
excellent few cumul gathered round the horiz m
The awful unearhy aspect which these assumed before the
darkness fitting precursor Of what to follow.
Unh about Eve minutes before the time Of total obscuraon
had leisure watch the general effect the landscape
the increasing darkness. II is error though
great mistake suppose that the darkness Of total eclipse
is OF the kind with that ofnight of equal intensity An
ordinary starlight night when the and twilight are abb
SENT much darker But the thckest darkness that ever
shrouded the earth is joy and gadnes compared with the
peculiar light emanatng from the which encles the
moon when the eclipse is total.
The outline Of the lunar mountains finely projected in
profile upon the and these the light mar
rowed produced singular appearance the southern cusp
Presently as watched ntently the edge ofght broken
up into beads, moving towards the point The complete
covering Of the suns disc by the succeeded nsanane
ousy Up,o this point may say that in great mea-
prepared for all that had other eclipses
and this like Of them great SCALE The change
which takes place 10 less than tenth Of cond entire
ars the that the second which precedes the instant
Of toal observation gives idea Of what is to follow
Some seconds elapsed before had my thoughts sufficiently
about the from the eye-piece What
then saw utterly beyond my power Of language ade
quatey express The of white light which encir-
ced the dark body Of the resembed the aureoa or
glory, by which painters designate the Saviour its radaons
extending from the circumference distance equal about
the suns diameter suppose it be Pc
cuary in its light which gives such strange aspect to all
natural objects by it. How shall attempt describe
those other wondes-the rosecolored Aames which, the
instant with the corona, appeared on the suns edge
The sight filed with unmingled, indispensable admiration
An arch Of light like rainbow connected Of Them not
bright they The surprisingly beau
ul awful and grand. In moment, in the twink
ling fan eye bursts upon the sghthe most sublime Of all
that permitted Of the glory Of the
ton An hour before should have been skepica about
all this many others may be- Without seeing what
did should thoroughly have believed. had vague
conception founded what had read Of the eclipse 1872
that something unusual would take place at the when
the sun disappeared But had appeared in the
heavens could scarcely have been taken by surprise
than was when these hameike promnences project
ing from the inner edge Of the
Of this wonderful phenomenon My eye at the
telescope, with the exception Of glance TWO about
the landscape shrouded in darkness the whole time during
which the total phase continued They seen, however,
by many with the naked In Goethenburg newspaper
which have since they compared to the sparkling
Of the Kohinoor diamond Capt. M. and his family saw
them with spy glass. Capt. 8. was on Lake Wennen at
the time, and altered bis 10 conAS within the
shadow He them both with telescope and with the
naked eye alone. Mr.. Lassel Trolhaita, and Mr. Airy
at Goehenburg, equally fortunate with Before the
end Of toay the left hand fame disappeared entirely per-
haps covered by the advancing limb Of the Those
until the before the edge Of the appeared when
the rosy light suused the limb of the moon,
where the sunlight first broke FORTH and then all vanished
quickly as it had at first appeared
"The light Of day had returned than went to
my room record all had only stopped to notice
the shadow Of the the southeast where the sky
black night, while already IN the sunbsams
had scarcely reached my lodgings. long before the last
TACT the entered the bank clouds in the
and concealed from sight; but all that we
i could desire secured already.
UMr c. returned with favorable accouna In the even