d by only a few seconds the observation made with
the unaided eye by twenty thousand astronomers equipped for the
occasion, whose first essay this was. A lively curiosity, a spirit of
emulation, the desire of not being outdone, had the privilege of giving
to the natural vision an unusual power of penetration. During the
interval that elapsed between this moment and the almost total
disappearance of the Sun we remarked nothing worthy of relation in the
countenances of so many spectators. But when the Sun, reduced to a very
narrow filament, began to throw upon the horizon only a very feeble
light, a sort of uneasiness seized upon all; every person felt a desire
to communicate his impressions to those around him. Hence arose a deep
murmur, resembling that sent forth by the distant ocean after a tempest.
The hum of voices increased in intensity as the solar crescent grew more
slender; at length the crescent disappeared, darkness suddenly succeeded
light, and an absolute silence marked this phase of the eclipse with as
great precision as did the pendulum of our astronomical clock. The
phenomenon in its magnificence had triumphed over the petulance of
youth, over the levity which certain persons assume as a sign of
superiority, over the noisy indifference of which soldiers usually make
profession. A profound stillness also reigned in the air; the birds had
ceased to sing. After an interval of solemn expectation, which lasted
about two minutes, transports of joy, shouts of enthusiastic applause,
saluted with the same accord, the same spontaneous feeling, the first
reappearance of the rays of the Sun. To a condition of melancholy
produced by sentiments of an indefinable nature there succeeded a lively
and intelligible feeling of satisfaction which no one sought to escape
from or moderate the impulses of. To the majority of the public the
phenomenon had arrived at its term. The other phases of the eclipse had
few attentive spectators beyond the persons devoted especially to
astronomical pursuits."

The total eclipse of July 28, 1851, may be said to have been the first
which was the subject of an "Eclipse Expedition," a phrase which of late
years has become exceedingly familiar. The total phase was visible in
Norway and Sweden, and great numbers of astronomers from all parts of
Europe flocked to those countries. Amongst those who went from England
were Sir G. B. Airy, the Astronomer Royal (then Mr. Airy), Mr. J. R.
Hind and Mr. L