Year: 1860

NEWPORT, Il. l., August g, 1860.


The Convention met at halfpast nine o'clock
this morning, for the purpose of reading the few
papers remaining on hand and to hear the report
of the distinguished astronomers who had accom-
panied the scientific expedition to Labrador for the
purpose of taking observations ofthc recent total
eclipse of the sun. The attendance of both sexes
to-day was larger than on any other occasion
during the session OF the Convention. The large
hail Of the State House was crowded in every
part, and the utmost interest was manifested in
the procee lings.


Professor B. \. Could, Vice President Of the
Association, in the absence Of the President, call
cd the meeting u order, anl the inmates Of the
preyious days proceedings were read and con-
Grmed.


On motion it wasreSolscd that the Association
should divide into sections for the reading of pa
perS, and that all the members should re-asscm.
bic in general session at halfpast eleven o'clock


The meeting then divided into two sections,
and while section was in session,


Prof AleAanderprocecded TO address the meet
ing on the results Of the late expedition to Lab
rador He said the members Of that expedition
were highly gratifcd by the reception they had
met from the moment they set foot on shore
They had come from land of monumental des-
olation into the midst of friends and social inter-
course and delightful converse; and if his ideas
should not be quite clear, he begged that they
would pardon him under such interesting cir
cumstances. You are, continued the Professor,
well aware that the observation of the total
eclipse of 1860, at point near the coast of Lab
rador, was undertaken under the patronage Of
the Coast Survey. was the humble agent of
carrying out the ideas Of the Superintendent
that is, my associates and myself-for though
the expedition had an ostensibe head, that did
not imply superiority on the part of any one
We were TO place ourselves as near as possible
to the line of the central eclipse; and this morn
ing am to state you Ak briefly as possible how
we selected our station, and what VIC saw when
VIC got there. Never inmy widest dreams have
seen such scenes Of grandeur as we saw when
nearing our destination. For the last fifty miles
an unbroken chain Of mountains, seemingly
formed of cast iron, rose beyond the limits of
arborescent vegetation, patches of snow still lin
gcring on their eastern side, from which there
came down to us a sensible chill But what dis
couraged me more than all was at the base of
that long barTricr Though the day was clear
overhead, along that barrier slept bed ofmist,
held there under the inexorablc law Of condcnsa-
ton by the mountains themselves. And when
we arrived at our latitude, and were trying to
find an opening through which we could enter,
we looked upon these towering masses 1000
feet high How we were to get on the plateau
was not manifest at all; but there was that mist
1t was beautiful illustration Of the laws Of mois-
ture; but o, it had no rainbow about it; and all
the preparations that had been made so carefully,
and all the expectations that had been raised
all seemed to have opposed to them barrier as
inexorable as the laws of ofnature themselves One
thing became evident: we must take advantage
of that very arrangement; VIC must ihterpose
that huge barrier of mountain between ourselves
aad the ocean, or our work must come to naught.
And, therefore, we penetrated little inlet and
found, after while. set Of terraces, upon which
We finally placed ourselves and then the huge
barrier shut out the fog under the same
law. Sometimes the fog crept through like a
huge serpent but it came down on the warm
side of the mountain range and scarcely ever
reached US. Our harbOr was good and snug,
and we set ourselves TO work to prepare for OBJ
seryations- When the weather in this region
was clear, it was very clear, but it never remain