National Eclipse

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE.

As when the sun new risen
Looks through the horizontal misty air,
Shorn of his beams; or from behind the moon,
In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight sheds
On half the nations, and with fear of change
Perplexes monarchs.

THERE is, perhaps, no more striking evidence of the triumphs of Science over Ignorance and Superstitution, than that furnished by contrasting the manner in which this phenomenon is now regarded with the consternation which it once spread through every class of beholders. Every intelligent school-boy—nay, every well instructed little girl has a sufficiently clear idea of its cause to enable her to view it not only without terror, but with a high degree of satisfaction. When the predicted time approaches that the sun is to undergo an eclipse, all who have any relish for the sublime spectacles with which the works of the Creator abound, furnish themselves with the simple apparatus necessary for observation, and impatiently wait the long expected hour.—When it arrives, numbers may [be] seen gazing with intense interest and delight. But far different was the general state of feeling on such occasions in former days. Ignorant of the causes of this phenomenon, the philosophers themselves were unable to predict its occurrence; and when it appeared, every heart was filled with terror and dismay!—The wisdom of the wise was indeed confounded, and an appearance so unnatural and so unaccountable as it was then regarded, was supposed to be ominous of the most disastrous events. That eclipses are now viewed as harmless occurrences, is owing to the fact that their causes have been satisfactorily explained by astronomers, and they are shown to be the result of those laws to which God has subjected the material universe.—They are foretold with the utmost precision even years before they happen, and the very minute of their beginning and end at any given place is calculated with the most unerring certainty. How wonderful a proof is this of the uniformity of the laws of nature. Since first the planetary system began to move through boundless space, impelled by the hand of Onipotence [sic] each individual of which it is composed has performed its revolutions with undeviating regularity. Even Herschel, at the distance of eighteen hundred millions of miles from the sun, and the circumference of whose orbit is of such extent as to require him about eighty-four years to traverse it, will no doubt be found to complete his circuit without any material irregularity. And from these planetary movements, unvarying from age to age, we derive a most sublime conception of the immutability of that Creator whose laws it is that they obey. We may use the term nature for the sake of convenience, but still it is Nature's God who is the author of material existence, and who prescribes those laws to which matter is subject.

We have been led to the foregoing reflections from witnessing the SOLAR ECLIPSE of the 30th of November last. The day was unusually clear, and afforded every advantage for beholding that sublime display of Almighty power. Although no doubt far less striking in our latitude than in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, in part of which it was total, still it yielded the highest gratification to the lovers of natural phenomena. The author of these remarks was unable to note the height of the mercury in a thermometer exposed to the sun at the commencement of the eclipse, but at about 20 minutes past one o'clock it was observed to stand at 78° Fahrenheit; the bulb having been previously blackened. As the sun became more and more obscured the mercury sunk rapidly, and indeed a chilliness very perceptible was experienced by those who were out of doors. At 20 minutes past 2 o'clock the mercury had sunk to 50°, a distance of 28° from the time it was first observed, and this was the lowest to which it fell. At this time, the focus of an excellent metallic concave reflector of 11 inches in diameter, was thrown upon the blackened bulb of the thermometer and produced but little effect, raising the mercury only about six degrees. The bulb being thus situated, when the sun is unobscured the mercury rises with a rapidity such as to render its motion easily perceptible to the sight. At this time the finger could be held in the focus of the mirror with scarcely any sensation of heat, whereas ordinarily the pain of this experiment cannot be endured longer than a moment. The collected rays produced no sensible effect upon brown paper.

Nothing could be more interesting and solemn than the aspect of things at the time of the greatest obscuration. It being the day of rest, all was silent and the bustling world stood still. The forests having been stripped of their leaves and stretching forth their dark & naked arms, would naturally present a sombre appearance—but when viewed in the feeble light which the sun then shed, they appeared doubly sad. Indeed, the most familiar prospect, beheld in this strange and unusual light, seemed entirely new. Whilst we viewed the face of nature thus veiled in partial gloom, we were forcibly reminded of the scene at the entrance of the Elysian fields so beautifully described by the Mantuan bard:

Ibant obscuri sola sub nocte per umbram,
Perque domos Ditis vacuas et inania regna:
Quale per incertam lunam sub luce maligna
Est iter in sylvis, ubi coelum condidit umbra
Jupiter, et rebus nox abstulit atra colorem.

"Obscure they went thro' dreary shades that led
Along the waste dominions of the dead;
Thus wander travellers [sic] in wood by night,
By the moon's doubtful and malignant light,
When Jove in dusky clouds involves the skies,
And the feint crescent shoots by fits before their eyes.["]

During the eclipse, the planet Venus was for sometime visible, being then about 30° E.S.E. of the sun. She was in a part of her orbit much nearer the earth than usual, and consequently would be more easily seen. She shone with a blue and feeble light, giving additional interest to the scene.

M.