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'Well, Fanny,' said Mrs. Burdett, 'I fancy this will not be very pleasant; but it is the right thing to do, on poor Stephen's account, and for mamma's sake.'

'Yes, of course,' said Fanny; but do you know, I don't think you will find it at all unpleasant. Ned and I enjoy it immensely.'

Indeed! I shall hardly make up my mind so quickly. Mrs. Stephen is a bettermannered person than I expected.'

Is she not? Quite wonderful, I think. Things certainly might have been much worse.'

And then the two ladies talked no more about their sister-in-law. It was, indeed, remarkable that they continued to be very rational about her. The fact was, Julia had been too much for them, as she was for most people; had utterly disconcerted and upset their ideas; and each had come secretly to the wholesome conviction that she had been near doing a very impolitic and stupid thing, and had better reverse her position as rapidly and as quietly as possible. It was so much better not to talk about it, so much less unpleasant not to have to make any amende to herself or her sister.

'Of course, I am delighted to have Selina and Fanny with me,' said Mrs. Haviland to Julia, on the day following the arrival of the Burdetts; but,' she added timidly, and smoothing her daughter-in-law's hand with her own, with a movement half-nervous, half-caressing, I hope you will not be less with me, my dear, because they are here. I am very happy with you.'

"If I could bring Eliot Foster here,' thought Julia, ‘and let him see for himself how thoroughly I have carried out the programme he thought so far-fetched and impossible, I think he would have a better opinion than ever of my head, and'-her face softened a little as the thought completed itself 'not a worse opinion, on the whole, of my heart.'

Before the autumn came to a close, Julia's success, not only in a domestic, Haviland point of view, but on the broader social basis of county' society, was complete. People stayed more at home in those days, when rushing about' was not at once epidemic and chronic, and became more thoroughly acquainted with their surroundings. The interval between whispering and gossiping over Stephen Haviland's marriage, pitying his mother, and wondering what So-and-so would do about visiting his wife, and the general conviction that Mrs. Haviland was an extremely charming woman, and quite an acquisition, was surprisingly

short. The neighbourhood had not to resent any previous disappointments concerning him he had not deceived any anxious mothers, or jilted any anxious daughters. Julia's account of him was strictly correct

when he had ceased to be exclusively occupied with his liver, he had fallen in love

with her. He was known to be a rich and popularly and not erroneously believed to be a very rich- man, who had succeeded to a fine property, being already possessed of a large sum in ready-money and considerable business faculties. Such a man, with a stake in the county, notions of hospitality quite Indian in their magnitude, a large and well-regulated establishment, and a very handsome and agreeable wife, who never had disagreeable relatives staying with her to take up her attention and require that of other people, was of considerable social value. In short, Julia Haviland carried every outwork brilliantly, and was now enthroned in the heart of the citadel.

Early in the winter season, Stephen Haviland and his wife took possession of their house in Berkeley-square, which had been fitted up for their reception in a style which would have astonished all the dead-and-gone Havilands who had ever sojourned within the metropolis. It was not the custom of those days to pass the dreariest season of the year amid the dreariest scenes; and if it had been, Julia would have set aside the custom. She liked town in winter, and she meant to live there. She had gone through all the preliminaries to the life of pleasure, excitement, and social success which she had entered upon, with every sense of enjoyment quickened to the utmost; and she had no notion of wasting any more time. Every possible care had been taken to secure the comfort and well-being of Mrs. Haviland, who was perfectly satisfied to be in town; and now the reality of the life for which she had bargained with fate commenced for Julia Haviland. She would gain a firm footing in the world, and map her life out thoroughly, before the full tide of society should be pouring through the great arteries of London. She had been happy yes, certainly happy, if not quite satisfieddown at Meriton; but she had always known there was something beyond, to which she was reaching. It was now within her grasp. Neither was she altogether sorry to lose sight for a time of Hugh Gaynor. spired her with an uncomfortable feeling, which she was aware did not arise so much from his knowledge of her, and of the past, as from the innate superiority of his mind, from the calm indifference with which he regarded, as altogether uncalling for estima

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Has he?' she said; 'I am glad of it, since he was so anxious. Where is the place?'

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Beckthorpe, a little way from Coventry a filthy place, I should say, and likely to combine the vices and the misery of town and country.'

He will get on splendidly, if it does not kill him,' said Julia.

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And if it does, he will think that getting off splendidly,' said Stephen; so he's all right, anyhow.'

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Time went on, and the Havilands throve and prospered. Julia gained her heart's desire. She was rich, beautiful, courted, beloved, and the fashion.' The cup of pleasure brimmed over for her; and though her husband had one sorrow, she did not share it. They had no children; but this did not grieve her, and she did not even pretend to feel with him in the matter. Mrs. Haviland was inclined to do what for her was almost grumbling at the decrees of Providence. Julia, who never wavered or failed in her fulfilment of the resolution she had made, that Stephen's mother should have no reason to lament his marriage, was sometimes tried a little by the old lady's loving regrets.

tion, those things in which she took pleasure, | said Stephen Haviland to his wife one day the objects of her life, the aims of her am- in February. bition. In spite of herself she was forced to wish for his esteem, to feel an uneasy dread of his displeasure; in spite of herself she shrunk from the many silent evidences which she perceived, that he held her lot rather in compassion than in envy. That she should not be regarded as the most enviable of women stung Julia's pridė; and some superstitious feeling within her made her dislike, almost to the extent of fearing it, the knowledge that he deeply commiserated her for the sorrow which she had never sustained. To a certain extent, her whole life was a lie; why, then, did she feel so acutely that there was no shaking off the influence of it, the degradation of the one specific falsehood which she had told him? Why did she feel at times that she almost hated him because the superior rectitude of his character had forced her to tell him that falsehood; and at others, that to be with him was the best among the privileges afforded her by her successful venture in life? Who can tell? Such a contradiction is not to be explained or accounted for, except by the general truth that in all natures there lurks, together with defiance, the germ of the love of good, and the perception of its beauty. Hugh Gaynor was to remain for some time longer at Burnham, to give his health a fair trial in the winter, before he again went in search of a field for his ministrations. The rector, who gave his son up for incorrigible, and Mrs. Gaynor, who invited a good-looking niece to the vicarage in hopes that prettiness and proximity might have such an effect upon Hugh as to counteract what the good lady called his nonsense,' were uselessly angry at his intention of again leaving home. They did not know where he would go to some horribly unhealthy place, no doubt; he had talked of the weavers being an interesting class, intelligent and consumptive, and that there was not a vacancy at present; but he was in correspondence about a curacy or something at Coventry. So spoke his mother, vexed and vague. But he was still at Burnham when Julia went to London, and she saw him once or twice in the course of the winter. In the early spring he completed his arrangements, and left Burnham.

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Hugh Gaynor has got the poor, dirty, and ignorant clientèle he wished for, Julia,'

My dear,' she said to her once, it is not that I care so much about children while they are babies, though they do brighten up one's house and one's heart; but when one is old as I am, and all comfort and happiness must come through the hands of others, I should like to think that when that time comes for you, long after I am gone, you would have a son to be to you what Stephen is to me, and to give you a daughter like yourself.'

But these were slight things after allvery little spots in such a full, blazing, tropical sun of prosperity. Nor was Julia at all likely to exaggerate them. She did not; she measured and weighed all that life brought to her accurately, and enjoyed it to the full. And she knew that she had won the exact prize she had striven for, and found in it all she had expected, even though she sometimes paused in the course of her pros perous career to contemplate it, and to think, not with sadness or discontent, but with conviction, 'It glitters, but it is not gold.'

From The Cornhill Magazine.
GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSES.

But there is another circumstance besides proximity to the earth which affects the On the seventeenth of August there will moon's apparent dimensions. She appears occur the most remarkable solar eclipse that to grow larger as she rises above the horihas taken place within historic times, or that zon. We are not referring, of course, to the will take place for many hundred years. A appearance she presents to the naked eye. black shadow upwards of 140 miles in di- Judged in this way she seems to grow ameter, surrounded by a penumbra 4,000 smaller as she rises above the horizon. But miles wide, will sweep from the eastern parts when she is measured by any trustworthy of Africa across the Arabian Sea, the In- instrument the reverse is found to be the dian peninsula, and the East Indian Archi- case. The cause of the peculiarity is not pelago -a distance of more than 8,000 far to seek. We see the moon, not from miles. The Royal Society and the Astro- the centre of her orbit (that is, the earth's nomical Society have sent out expeditions, centre), but from a point on the earth's surwell supplied with telescopes, spectroscopes, face, a point, therefore, which is four polariscopes, in fact, with all the appli- thousand miles nearer to the moon's orbit. ances of modern astronomical science, to Accordingly, if the moon were directly overtake advantage of so favourable an opportu- head (which never happens in our latitudes) nity for obtaining an answer to the interest- her distance from us would be diminished ing questions respecting solar physics which by 4,000 miles, and she would look proporhave been suggested by the phenomena of tionately larger. The sun is not affected former eclipses. A particular interest is in this way, because four thousand miles is attached to the inquiry in consequence of a mere nothing in comparison with the enorremarkable discoveries which have been mous distance at which the sun is removed made during the past few years by direct from us. Accordingly, other things being examination of the solar orb. The whirling equal, the higher the moon is at the time of motion of the solar spots; their strange pe- a total eclipse, the greater is the eclipse. riodicity; the singular association which exists between this periodicity and the periodicity of terrestrial magnetic variations; the suspected influence of the planets upon the solar atmosphere; these and many other singular discoveries await interpretation, and a strong impression prevails among astronomers that the solution of these problems will be hastened if the observation of the great eclipse should prove successful.

Among the total eclipses recorded during historic times, there are some which stand out among the rest on account either of their magnitude or of the historical interest associated with them. We propose to give a brief account of the more remarkable solar eclipses whose records have been preserved. Before doing so, however, it may be well to point out the circumstances on which the magnitude of a solar eclipse depends; and to explain why it is that so few eclipses occur which deserve to be ranked among great total eclipses.

The average apparent dimensions of the sun exceed those of the moon. But both bodies vary in apparent magnitude-the moon more than the sun. Perhaps many of our readers will be surprised to learn that we receive fully one-fourth more light from some full moons than from others, owing to the variations of her apparent magnitude. Accordingly, when she is at her largest, and the sun at his smallest, she is able to hide him wholly from our view, and considerably overlap his disc all round.

In order, therefore, that an eclipse may be as great as possible, the sun should be as far as possible from the earth, which happens about the beginning of July; the moon should be as near as possible to the earth, which happens (roughly speaking) once in every lunar month; and the sun and moon should be almost immediately overhead, which can only happen at midday in tropical countries. It will readily be conceived how seldom these conditions can be fulfilled (in combination with the other conditions which determine the occurrence of an eclipse at all). In fact it has never yet happened that any very close approach has been made to the simultaneous fulfilment of all the conditions.

But, in the coming eclipse, two of the conditions will be almost exactly fulfilled, and the third pretty nearly so. The moon will be so near that her apparent diameter will only fall short of its greatest possible value by about one-thousandth part. At the time of greatest eclipse (which happens when the black shadow is traversing the East Indian Archipelago) the eclipsed sun will be less than three degrees from the point immediately overhead; and, lastly, the sun's apparent diameter will be very much smaller than it is when he is at his mean distance from the earth.

We proceed to discuss a few of the most remarkable eclipses recorded by ancient historians.

It is rather singular that no eclipses are

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recorded in the Bible. There have been 100 feet high; its circumference two parasome astronomers who have imagined that sangs; it was built of burnt brick, on a the "going back of the shadow upon the dial foundation of stone twenty feet high. of Ahaz" was caused by a partial eclipse of When the Persians conquered the Medes, the sun. But this supposition seems too the Persian king besieged this city, but was fanciful to be admitted, even if it were the unable to capture it till a cloud hid the sun case that a partial eclipse could have wholly from view, when the inhabitants caused the retrogression of the shadow. withdrew in great fear, and the city was We are told distinctly that the "going capturéd." Zenophon mentions that the back of the shadow was a miraculous, not Greeks, after passing Larissa, reached a natural event; and even if this were not another deserted city called Mespila. Layso, or if we might infer that it was the pro-ard has identified Larissa with the modern phet's foreknowledge of an approaching Nimroud, where there still exist the very eclipse which constituted the miracle, yet it ruins described by Zenophon; Mespila he may readily be shown that no partial or to- identifies with the modern Mosul. Of tal eclipse could produce the effects de- course it is impossible to doubt that a total scribed. Such an eclipse undoubtedly eclipse of the sun, and not the mere concauses an irregularity in the motion of the cealment of the sun under a cloud, was the shadow on a dial; the shadow at first moves cause of the city's capture. The Astronomore slowly, afterwards more quickly, than mer Royal has shown that this interesting it would otherwise do, but it cannot pos- event occurred on May 19, 556 B. C. sibly go back. Another eclipse has been examined by The first important eclipse whose records the Astronomer Royal, which has given have reached us is that which occurred in great trouble to historians. This is the the year 584 B. C. It took place, Herodc-eslipse which took place when Xerxes was tus relates, while the Medes and Lydians advancing with his army from Sardis to were engaged in battle. He thus describes Abydos. Herodotus relates that just as the occurrence:- -"The war had continued the army was setting forth the sun suddenly between the two nations with balanced suc- disappeared from its place in the heavens, cess for five years. In the sixth year of the though there were no clouds, and the sky war another battle took place; and after was perfectly clear; "thus," says he, “the both sides had fought without advantage, day was turned into night." Mr. Airy, and when the engagement was growing however, refers this description to the total warm, the day was suddenly turned into eclipse of the moon, which took place on night. This had been foretold to the Ionians March 13, 478 B. C. No total eclipse of by Thales the Milesian, who predicted the the sun appears to be reconcilable with the time of the year in which it would happen. account of Herodotus, and therefore it The Lydians and Medes, seeing that day seems reasonable to infer that there is an had given place to night, desisted from error of some sort in his narrative. combat, and were equally anxious to make It is singular how often the occurrence of peace." Astronomers and historians had a total eclipse is connected with the mililong been in doubt about the date of this re-tary and naval undertakings of ancient namarkable eclipse. The astronomical diffi- tions. Most of our readers must remember culty of the question is connected with an interesting peculiarity of lunar motion, into which we need not now enter. Until this peculiarity had been mastered, which has only happened quite recently, Baily's supposition that the eclipse must have occurred in the year 609 B. C., was accepted as the best solution of the difficulty. But the Astronomer Royal has now proved beyond a doubt that the eclipse took place on May 28, in the year 584 B. C., the very year assigned to the event by Cicero and Pliny.

Zenophon mentions a remarkable eclipse which led to the capture of Larissa by the Persians. During the retreat which was so ably conducted by Zenophon, the Greeks passed a large deserted city called Larissa, formerly inhabited by the Medes. Its walls were twenty-five feet thick and

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the narrative of the total eclipse which seriously threatened the success of the expedition of the Athenians under Pericles against the Lacedæmonians. "The whole fleet was in readiness, and Pericles on board his own galley, when there happened an eclipse of the sun. The sudden darkness was looked upon as an unfavourable omen, and threw the sailors into the greatest consternation. Pericles, observing that the pilot was much astonished and perplexed, took his cloak, and having covered his eyes with it, asked him if he found anything terrible in that, or considered it as a bad presage? Upon his answering in the negative, Pericles said, 'Where is the difference, then, between this and the other, except that something bigger than my cloak causes the eclipse ?"

when men were eating; and they lighted candles to eat by. That was the thirteenth day before the calends of April." (The worthy chronicler might as well have adhered to the more usual method of expressing the date.) "Men were very much struck with wonder." "The darkness became so great," he says elsewhere, "that men feared the ancient chaos was about to return, and on going out, they perceived several stars around the sun."

But perhaps the most interesting of all the problems with which ancient eclipses have supplied our modern astronomers, is that which is connected with what is termed the eclipse of Agathocles. After his defeat by the Carthaginians, Agathocles was besieged by them in Syracuse. But taking advantage of a relaxation in the vigilance of the blockading fleet, occasioned by the approach of a fleet which had been sent for his relief, he quitted Syracuse, and passing over into Africa, waged for four years a Amongst all the eclipses hitherto mensuccessful war against the Carthaginian tioned there is only one- viz. the eclipse of forces. It is related by Diodorus Siculus Thales which is comparable with that of that the voyage to Africa lasted six days, August 17. And among more recent eclipses and that on the second day of the journey there is only one other approaching it in an eclipse occurred, during which the dark- magnitude. This eclipse, which occurred ness was so great that stars became visible on June 17, 1433, was visible in Scotland, in all directions. There can be no doubt, and was long remembered in that country therefore, that the eclipse was a total one. as "the Black Hour." It occurred at about But it has been found difficult to reconcile three o'clock in the afternoon, and the recthis account with the calculated path of the ords preserved respecting it relate that nothmoon's shadow during the only total eclipse ing was visible during the height of the which corresponds with the historical and totality. Professor Grant considers that chronological details of the event. Baily's "this last remark is a manifest exaggeracalculation of the eclipse threw the shadow about 200 miles from the most southerly position which can possibly have been attained by Agathocles on the second day of his journey from Syracuse. The labors of the Astronomer Royal, founded on improved tables of the lunar motions, have been more successful; and he has shown that the northern limit of the zone of total shadow must have passed some seventy or eighty miles south of Syracuse - -a distance which might readily have been traversed by Agathocles within the time named.

It is related by Philostratus in his Life of Apollonius, that a singular phenomenon preceded and announced the death of the Emperor Domitian. "A certain crown, resembling the Iris, surrounded the sun's disc and hid his light." We cannot doubt that reference is here made to a total eclipse of the sun, and calculation shows that such an eclipse occurred in the year ninety-five of our Lord.

We pass to the records of eclipses which have occurred more recently.

William of Malmesbury relates that the eclipse of August 2, 1133, presaged the death of Henry I. "The elements shewed their grief," he says, "at the passing away of this great king. For on that day the sun hid his resplendent face at the sixth hour, in fearful darkness, disturbing men's minds by his eclipse."

Seven years later another remarkable eclipse occurred which is thus referred to by the same writer:-"In the Lent the sun and the moon darkened about noontide,

tion." Be this as it may, there can be no doubt that the eclipse was one of unusual extent, for the mathematician Maclaurin found that "at the time of its occurrence the sun was only two degrees from perigee, the moon not more than thirteen degrees from apogee.' But neither in this eclipse nor in that of Thales did the totality last so long as it will during the approaching eclipse.

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In 1598 another total eclipse occurred which was visible in the British Isles. day of the eclipse was remembered for a long time afterwards as Black Saturday. In a similar way the day of the total eclipse of 1652 was named Mirk Monday by the people of Scotland, and although the eclipse has long since been forgotten, the expression is still used in many parts of that country.

It is singular that none of the eclipses we have recorded had led to any observations of any value to the physical inquirer. Modern eclipses, on the contrary, derive their chief interest from observations of this sort.

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In the total eclipse of 1706, which was observed at Montpellier, and a variety of other places in Western and Central Europe, the bright stars Aldebaran and Capella, and the planets Venus, Mercury and Saturn, were visible to the naked eye. 'Bats flew about as they do at dusk. Fowls and pigeons flew hastily to their roosts. Cage-birds were silent, and hid their heads under their wings. Animals at labour in the fields stood still." Duillier relates that at Geneva the Council were compelled to close their deliberations, as they could see neither to read nor write. "In many places people fell

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