The New York herald., 1868-08-18
THE ECLIPSE OF THE sun TODAY.


of the Eclipse ON the Equator fron1 Adcn I,
the Oriental Islnnds-liise and Prcsress o
the Phenonen0n-The ScielNifc Observers.
To-day along ihe line of the equ.7sor. commencing
at Alden, on the Red Sea. and thence through indi
to New Guinea, win be witnessed by the a'tonishe
populations and delegated, yet amazed, sek mime OF
servers OF the mOss extraordinary solar eCpSes-
for totaty and duratioa Of the Obscrration-"hic
have been recorded withsu a thousand years anu
the magnitude OF which eclipse no phenomenon O
The sort approaching it WILL as at preseni caicateo
DC seen for at least two centuries TO come.
the eclipse will commence soon after snKrise
near Alden, on the Red Sea- pass through India ailo
the Malay peninsula during the forenoon anu terin'
nate IN the evening in New Guinea and the Oriensa'
Islands. The black shadow, which will be upwards
OF one hunGred ana forty miles in diameter and sur
rounded by q penunbra four thousand miles in
width, will sweep from the eastern portion OF Africa
across the Arabian Sea, Indian Peninsula and East
1nGlan ArchiIclago--an extent of over eight
thousand miles When This black shadow is
traversing the East Indian Archipelago will be
the moment OF the most complete eclipse. The
observation of the sun will endure ully six
minutes and fifty seconds in lndia ard scyen
minutes mt Saigon, permitting the savans who
nave set out from Europe note its time to record
with accuracy its startling manifestations ad-
vantage not heretofore presented in consequence oG
the space OF time of endurance OF the ecpses being
much more brief the phases previously noticed not
exceeding three or four minutes.
or this exceptional phenomenon, regarded by
many as disturbance OF the laws OF nature we
know that when the sun is almost at the greatest
distance from the earth the moon is nearest the
earth, and the moons shadow viii pass nearest tho
on not who tba txyItI
AT the time predicted by the astronomers there is
nattenng. This will increase till 1t is clear that the
carved limb Of the moon is overlapping that OF the
sun. Gradually the eclipse will progress. the dark
ness viii increase and the color Of the light change
II becomes lurd and all nature seems to feel the
occasion. The visible portion Of the sun will grow
smaller and the light seem to pale; at last the edge
of the shadow will pass the place almost as though
it were material and the last trace of the familiar
sun disappears. Then the watchers will behold
sight overpoweringly glorious. The sky is dark,
cept towards the horizon and the stars seen In
deep twlght but where the was will be the
black surface OF the moon surrounded by corona
OF glory Of light, which will appear often to vary
in brightness and have frequent bright coruscations
darting from the moons edge. On this and closely
surrounding the moon will be seen, as 1t were,
flames or clouds Of various tnts OF red and very
bright. The sum- when eclpsed, will be less than
three degrees from the point Immediately overhead,
and the moon will be so near the earth that Its ap
parent diameter Will only fall short of its greatest
possible estimate by about thousandth part AT
last the moon will have passed the sun, slight
CLEAN OF light will be seen outside its limb and the
strain win be over-dayght will have returned.
Bird beast and man will be relieved-the suspense
OF the eclipse will be over.
Previous to the event tho astronomers who know
what is approaching, who are aware that when the
hands of watch indicate certain moment the
sun will be darkened and the moon not show her
light, will experience a nervous anxiety accom-
panied by unusual sensations, and, as in former in
stances, many even of these learned men may lose
their presence Of mind to such extent rs to per-
NIT valuable seconds OF the great opportunity to
pass away without marking their tablets. Indeed
the advent Of the present eclipse OF the sunwith-
out parallel in hstoryhas been waited for by thou
sands with feelings akin to those experienced by the
presciencc OF the approach of event terrible in
itself, few being able to regard 1t development
OF those laws which are fraught with strange
interest to mankind affOrdng some addl-
tiona insight OF natural causes hitherto unraveled
The event is not the less awenspirlng because ex-
pected, and to-day. finding vantage ground In India
congrcgated astronomers from Europe are busily
engaged I'm attempts to work further revelations OF
Natures secrets and the less educated more
vulgar would be perhaps more appropriately millions
that eclipse OF the Is not OF the exact descrip
ton OF that darkness which the Egyptians said
to have felt, and Ia cxplainabe according to natural
rules.
Eighteen hundred years ago and the Wise Men Of
the East turned to behold bright star which rose to
guide man to salvation by its eternal light; to-day
the Wise Men OF Europe stand ranged the equator
In an endcavor TO penetrate the mysterious work
ngs OF Him who set the SUM- the moon and the stars
the armament and carries their light in His hand.
Scientific commissions from Europe have already
reached India TO watch the eclipse OF the sun. An
English expedition left England some time ago; a
French expedition. was sent 70 Cochin China and
Maacca 10 be aided by several vessels OF the French
navy; the Austrian expedition went to Alden. The
Parliament Of the North German Union voted $4,000
for an expedition. The distinguished Roman AS
tronomer, Father Secchi applied to the Pope to be
sent the Indies to assist ut the congress OF astrono
pers. Father Secch was sent to Spain on astro
nomical mission which proved highly successful in
1860. II is stated, however that the Pope replied
that he had no available funds wherewith to send
the learned Jesuit TO India. Major Tcnnant has
been commissioned by the department Of the Anglo
Indian government to observe aud report the phe-
nomenon.
The general INSTRUCTIONS gwen 10 tnese learned
men set forth that some OF the most important points
to be ascertaincd the nature Of these promi
nences Of flame, or bright coruscaons dartlng from
the moons edge, noticed above, which exceed in
dimensions the largest OF the planets and form no
incousiderable portion OF the sun ITSELF II desired
to know whether they shine by their own Hight or
reflect that OF the sum- or are but phenomena OF
our own atmosphere The whrllng motion OF the
solar spots; their perodicty; the association which
exists between this perodIcty and the periodicy Of
terrestrial magnetic variations, with the influence,
as supposed, Of the planets upon the solar atmos'
phere are also TO be commented The polariscope
will. they are told, II circumstances be iavor-
able. afford the means OF solving this question,
az reflected light alone being polarized II the
flame, be self-iuminous they will not exhibit that
condition. The observation OF the Nucleus OF the
ann Also offers opportunties for examining by the