Sicawei Observatory, has kindly furnished us with the following interesting particulars of the coming eclipse of the sun.
The coming eclipse of the sun of the 9th of August will be total over the N. of Yezo Island; the total shadow will pass over the district of Kushiro, a little to the S. of the city of Nemuro, and also in the La Perouse Strait, which separates Yezo from Saghalien Island. There will likewise be total pol obscuration over the Russian coast to the N. of Viadivostock and along a line passing through Siberia from N.W. to S.E. (appro-oximately from a point having for coordinates 72° Lat. N. and 67° Long. E. of Greenwich down to a point in 48° Lat. N. and 139 Long. E.). The eclipse will cut through Nova Zembla and the N. of Laplind. It will be invisible in England, France, and in any other place in Europe outside of Lapland. At Shanghai and in he whole of China it will be visible under the shape of a partial eclipse; the obscuration will be greater the more one goes north; for instance at Peking the moon will encroach on the greater part of the sun, whilst at Hongkong, but a small part willie obscured. As for the time, the more one is stationed in the W. the sooner the eclipse will be seen on a same latitude, or, to_speak more accurately, on a line N.W. S.E. parallel to the trajectory of the eclipse; thus Hankow will see the begin ning of the eclipse before Shanghai, and Shanghai before Nagasaki.
The details of the eclipse for three selected stations are as follows At Shanghai (Semaphore, Time Ball Station. Day. h. m. Beginning of eclipse... Aug. 9th Q 38.5 p.m. Middle "do. (max. phase),, 1 47.1 End do. 2 803
At Hongkong (Cathedral.) Day. hem. Beginning of eclipse... Aug. 9th 0 46° p.m. Mildlo "do. (max. phase), 1 96.55, ud do.
At Yotohama (Flagstaf of te Hospital.) Pea id Peay Po phase) " 3 106, inning of eclipse...At ili 1 58.1 p.m. ay. hem.
End do. " 165 To observe properly the phenomenon it is necessary to have good astronomical telescopes. The following methods may be recommended.
1.—To watch the progress of the eclipse through smoked glass.
2.—To observe the sun reflected in dark liquid, for instance water mixed with ink.
3.—To pierce a hole in thick paper or pasteboard and to watch the brilliant spot projected by this paper on a table or a sheet of white paper. Before the eclipse a white round will be seen, during the eclipse the round will change as the sun into a horned image.
If watching the sun under trees; the little brilliant rounds which are usually seen there, will, when examined carefully, appear horned (in French échaneré).
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.