The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-08-24
Return OF the Labrador Expedition.
REPORT OF PROF. ALEXANDER.


REPORT OF PROF. ALEXANDER.
The expedition sent to Labrador by the
United States Government reached New.
port on their return Wednesday, just in time
to be" in at the death" of the session of
the scientific convention. The New York
Evening Posts correspondent gives the un.
official report from the expedition made
before the convention:
NEWPORT, Aug. 8, 1860.
The interest of the meetings Of the asso-
citation was sustained up to the last moment
by the arrival of the astronomical party
from Labrador, whose account of the great
eclipse was looked forward to with lively
satisfaction. The interest of the day CEN
tered in Prof. Alexander.
THE GREAT ECLIPSE.
Prof. Alexander rose under much agita.
ton. He was overcome by the kindly re-
ception which greeted him the moment he
set foot on shore. Contrasted with the
monumental desolation of the scene which
he had witnessed this sudden introduction
to the midst of friends and social intercourse
was most affecting. Without beginning
with an apology, he simply alluded to those
circumstances to explain what want of unity
of ideas he might manifest in his remarks.
The expedition had been fitted out under
the patronage of the Coast Survey and its
enlightened Superintendent, Mr.. Bache.
Never in his widest dreams had be con-
ceived of scenes of such wild grandeur and
desOlation as greeted them as they ap-
preached their final destination.
The shore was skirted with an almost un-
broken range of mountains, seeming like
cast IRON. They were beyond arborescent
vegetation-and but little except moses
grew anywhere. Along the base of the
mountain chain towards the sea, lay bank
of mist. 1t was necessary to get on the op.
poste side to be free from danger from this
source. The difficulties seemed to be very
great sort of terrace on the western side
of the range was found, which promised to
be suitable; hither with great difficulty we
transported ourselves and our instruments
The weather, when clear, was very clear
but lasted never more than two days. The
day we had looked forward to with great
anxiety was overcast still we could see the
disc of the sun the clouds served our eyes
for colored glass screens. The most inte-
resting results of our observations are
l. The moon broke the curve of the sun
with an enormously rough edge.
2. A phenomenon which | was the first
to notice some years ago, viz: belt of light
around the moon, brighter than any other
part of the sun.
3. An appearance, which but one of oul
party saw, which was observed in 1920, anG
once later, and has been called an optica
delusion, but which the photographic plate
nOW had not forgotten to record. Thus il
was real and not optical
The phenomenon in question was blue
asn light on the side of the moon, close tt
the edge projected on the sun. These three
results Prof. A. considered amply justified
the expenses of the expedition.
As the eclipse progressed, and when there
was only bit of ragged. intensely brilliant
as if the sun was melting away and drop
ping point by point till in minute all was
gone. During totality the sky was over
spread with the most beautiful colors. We
saw through the deepening mist, just as the
last fragment Of the suns disc melted away
single blush of the corona but it was
white and red prominences were visible.
On shipbOard they were more fortunate
During the totality, momentary rift in
the clouds revealed the spectacle to thu
sailors. They saw the corona, and describ
ed it precisely as if they had read descrip
ton in an astronomical work. The draw
ing taken from their statements be con
sidered in every sense reliable. 1t exhibit
the corona with unequal shoots of light.
| DR.. F. A. P. Barnard, member of th
expedition, gave few results which ar
very interesting. The phenomenon know
as t" Baily's beads" was distinctly seen
This consists of series of round dots o
light like a string of beads, which immedi
ately succeeds total observation. He at
tributed to them similar cause which i
assigned for mirage. The passage of thu
shadow created the same inequality of dens
ity in the atmosphere, as that which, OF
the principle of refraction produces mirage
Dr. B. stated some interesting facts con
nected with the voyage.
His ideas of icebergs were entirely cor
rected. He had no conception of thei
enormous height. One was measured to b
nearly four hundred feet in height. This
too, was in latitude 81 deg, off the coast O
| Belle Isle. Other remarkable features o
these high ATTITUDES were great number ant
brilliancy of auroras, and great disturb
ances of the magnetic needle. What wa
quite as remarkable, too, the latter becam
quiet during the totality of the eclipse.
The almost total absence of animal life
with the exception OF mosquitoes, was ais
remarked.