The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-17
GREAT SOLAR .ECLLPSES.

From he CornhiH Magazine.
The first important eclipse whose records nave
reached us is that which occurred in the year
bs4 B. G. II took place, Herodotus relate',
while the Medes and Lydians were engaged IN
hattie He thus describes the occurrence:-
s,Tho war had continued between the two ma
,,ons With balanced success for five years. In
,be sixth wear of the war another battle took
,Ioce. and after both sides had fought without
advantage, and when the engagement was
growing warm, the day was suddenly turned
into niqbt. This had been foretold to the loni-
ans by Thales the Milesan, who predlcted the
aine of the wear in which it would happen The
I,vdians and Medes, seeing that day had given
Mace TO night, desisted from combat, and were
enuallvanxious to make peace" Astronomers anu
historians had for long time been in doubt re-
sneotino the date of this remarkable eclipse.
The astronomical difficulty of the question IS
connected with an interesting popularity OF
lunar motion, into which we need not now
enter. Until this popularity had been mastered,
which has only happened quite recently, Bally's
supposition that the eclipse must have occurred
in the year G09 b. c., was accepted as the best
solution of the difficulty. But the Astronomer
Royal has now proved beyond doubt that the
eclipse took place on May %, in the year 5Sl
b. G., the very year assigned to the event by
Xenophon mentions q remarkable eclipse
which led to the capture OF Larssa by the Per
SLAMS. During the retreat which was SO ably
conducted by Xenophon, the Greeks passed
"a large deserted city called Larlssa,
formerly Inhabited by the hedes.
It's walls were twenty-five feet thick
and 100 feet high; its circumference two para.
sangs: it was built of burnt brick, on a founda-
tion Of stone twenty feet high When the Per-
slams conquered the Medes, the Persian king
besieged this city, but was unable to capture 1t
till q cloud hid the sun wholly from view, when
the inhabitants withdrew in great fear, and the
city was captured" Xenophon mentions that
the Greeks, after passing Larlssa, reached an
other deserted city called Mesplla, Layard has
identified Larissa with the modern Nlmroud,
where there still exist the very ruins described
by Xenophon; Mespila he identities with the
modern Mosul. Of course 1t is imp ossible to
doubt that total eclipse of the sun, and not the
mere concealment OF the sun under a cloud,was
the cause of the city's capture. The Astronomer
Royal has shown that this interesting event
occurred on May 10, 500 B. G.
Another eclipse has been examined by the
Astronomer Royal, which had given great
trouble to historians. This is the eclipse which
took place when AerXes was advancing with his
army from Sardis to Abydos Herodotus relates
that Just as the army was setting forth the sun
suddenly disappeared from its place in the
heavens, though there were no clouds, aud the
sky was perfectly clear; "thus,n says he, "the
day was turned into night" Mr.. Airy, however,
refers this description 10 the total eclipse of the
moon, which took place on March l3, 479 B. @.
No total eclipse of the sun appears to be recon-
eilable with the account of HerOdotus, and
therefore it seems reasonable to infer that there
is an error of some sort In his narrative.
1t is singular how often the occurrence of
total eclipse is connected with the military and
naval undertakings of ancient nations. Most of
our readers must remember the narrative of the
total eclipse which seriously threatened the
success OF the expedition of the Athenians
under PeriCles against the Laced@monians.
"The whole fleet was in readiness, and Percles
on board his own galley, when there happened
an eclipse CT the sun. The sudden darkness was
looked upon as an unfavorable omen, and threw
the sailors into the greatest CONSERVATION.
Pericles, observing that the pilot was much
astonished and perpleXed, took his cloak, and
having covered his eyes with it, asked him If he
found anything terrible in that, or considered
it as a bad presage? Upon his answering in
the negative, Pericles said, Where is the diff
ference, then, between this and the other, eX-
cept that something bigger than my cloak causes
the eclipseN"
But, perhaps, the most interesting of all the
problems with which ancient eclpses have
suppried our modern astronomers, is that which
is connected with what is termed the eclipse3of
Agathocles. After his defeat by the Cartha-
gnians, Agathocles was besieged by them in
Syracuse. But taking advantage of relaXa
tion in the vigilance OF the blockading fleet,
occasioned by the approach of fleet which had
been sent for his relief, he Quilted Syracuse,
and passing over into Africa, waeed for
four years a successful war against the
Carthaginian forces. 1t is related by Diodorus
Siculus that the voyage to Africa occupied six
days, and that on the second day OF the journey
an eclipse occurred, during which the darkness
was so great that stars became visible in all
directions. There can be no doubt, therefore,
that the eclipse was a total one. Bat it has
been found difficult to reconcile this account
with the calculated path of the mDou's shadow
during the total eclipse which corresponds with
the historical and chronological details of the
event. Bsily's calculation of the eclipse threw
the shadow about two hundred miles from the
most southerly position which can possibly
have been attained by Agathocles on the second
day of his journey from Syracuse The labors
OF the Astronomer Royal, founded on improved
tables OF the lunar motions, have been more
successful; and he has shown that the northern
limit of the zone of total shadow must have
passed some seventy or eighty miles south of
6yIaGuse-a distance which might readily have
been tIaversed by Agathocles within the time
named.
1t is related by Phllostratus, in his "Life of
Apolonius," that singular phenomenon pre-
ceded and announced the death of the Emperor
Domitian. "A certain crown, resembling the
Iris, surrounded the suns disc and hid his
light.n We cannot doubt that reference is here
made to a total eclipse of the sun, and caleula-
tion shows that such an eclipse occurred in the
year ninety-fve of our Lord.
We pass to the record OF eclipses which have
occurred more recently.
William of MalmesburY relates that the
eclipse OF August 2, 1888, presaged the death OF
Henry /. THE elements showed their grief y
he says, "at the passing away OF this great king.
For on that day the sun hid his resplen lent
face at the sixth hour, in fearful darkness, dis.
tuTbing mems minds by his eclipse"
Seven years later another remarkable eclipse
occurred, which is thus referred to by the same
wrter:-"In the Lent the sun and the moon
darkened about noontide, when men were eat
ing; aud they lighted their candles TO eat by.
That was the thirteenth day before the calends
OF April" (The worthy chronicler might as