3-034-837 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Total Solar Eclipse of Dec. 12: V. - central eclipse just ending, 1871. 'Lastly, after another interval of about fifty minutes, central eclipse comes to an end for the whole earth. The sun is still partially eclipsed at the Australian stations, where the day is also far spent, though where the central eclipse first began (in the Arabian Sea) it is still early in the forenoon. The central shadow is passing away at a region in the Pacific Ocean (close to the equator), and there passengers on some passing ship, or savages on some small island of the Polynesian groups, may witness the strange phenomena of a black sunset, the sun sinking beneath the waves of ocean with the moon upon his face...The solar eclipse of next Tuesday is the last of a series of four - occurring in four successive years - which have led to remarkable scientific expeditions. In August, 1868, the great Indian eclipse took place, and along the path of the shadow were stationed two well-equipped English observing parties, as well as an Austrian party and two French parties'. From "Illustrated London News", 1871.