ing the
eclipse of 1869.

[Illustration: FIG. 9.--"BAILY'S BEADS," FOUR STAGES, AT BRIEF INTERVALS.
MAY 15, 1836.]

"Baily's Beads" received their name from Mr. Francis Baily, who, in
1836, for the first time exhaustively described them; but they were
probably seen and even mentioned long before his time. At the total
eclipse of the Sun, seen at Penobscot in North America, on October 27,
1780, they would seem to have been noticed, and perhaps even earlier
than that date.

Almost coincident with the appearance of Baily's Beads, that is, either
just before or just after, and also just before or just after the
absolute totality (there seems no certain rule of time) jets of red
flame are seen to dart out from behind the disc of the Moon. It is now
quite recognised as a certain fact that these "Red Flames" belong to the
Sun and are outbursts of hydrogen gas. Moreover, they are now commonly
called "Prominences," and with the improved methods of modern science
may be seen almost at any time when the Sun is suitably approached; and
they are not restricted in their appearance to the time when the Sun is
totally eclipsed as was long supposed.

I may have more to say about these Red Flames later on; but am at
present dealing only with the outward appearances of things.
Carrington's description has been considered very apt. One which he saw
in 1851 he likened to "a mighty flame bursting through the roof of a
house and blown by a strong wind."

Certain ambiguous phrases made use of in connection with eclipses of
ancient date may perhaps in reality have been allusions to the Red
Flames; otherwise the first account of them given with anything like
scientific precision seems to be due to a Captain Stannyan, who observed
them at Berne during the eclipse of 1706. His words are that the Sun at
"his getting out of his eclipse was preceded by a blood-red streak from
its left limb which continued not longer than six or seven seconds of
time; then part of the Sun's disc appeared all of a sudden."

Some subsequent observers spoke of the Red Flames as isolated jets of
red light appearing here and there; whilst others seem to have thought
they had seen an almost or quite continuous ring of red light around the
Sun. The last-named idea is now recognised as the more accurate
representation of the actual facts, the Red Flames being emanations
proceeding from a sort of shell enveloping the Sun, to which shell the
name of "Chromosphere" has n