The following extracts are from letters to his wife, relating to the Observation of the eclipse, his interview with the King of Sweden, &c., and his visit to the pumping engines at Haarlem:
July 28, half-past 10, morning.
The weather is at present most perfectly doubtful. Nearly the whole sky is closely covered, yet there is now and then a momentary gleam of sun. The chances are greatly against much of the eclipse being seen. All is arranged to carry off the telescope, &c., at 11: they can be carted to the foot of the hill, and we have made out a walking-pass then to the top. We are to dine with Mr Dickson afterwards.
July 28, 10 at night.
Well we have had a glorious day. As soon as we started, the weather began to look better. We went up the hill and planted my telescope, and the sky shewed a large proportion of blue. At first I placed the telescope on the highest rock, but the wind blew almost a gale, and shook it slightly: so I descended about 8 feet to one side. (The power of doing this was one of the elements in my choice of this station, which made me prefer it to the high hill beyond the river.) The view of scenery was inexpressibly beautiful. The beginning of eclipse was well seen. The sky gradually thickened from that time, so that the sun was in whitish cloud at the totality, and barely visible in dense cloud at the end of the eclipse. The progress of the eclipse brought on the wonderful changes that you know: just before the totality I saw a large piece of blue sky become pitch black; the horror of totality was very great; and then flashed into existence (I do not know how) a broad irregular corona with red flames instantly seen of the most fantastic kind. The darkness was such that my assistant had very great trouble in reading his box chronometer. (A free-hand explanatory diagram is here given.) Some important points are made out from this. 1st the red flames certainly belong to the sun. 2nd they certainly are in some instances detached. 3rd they are sometimes quite crooked. 4th they seem to be connected with spots. The corona was brilliant white. One star brilliant: I believe Venus. I had no time to make observations of polarization, &c., although prepared. When the totality was more than half over I looked to N. and N.W., and in these regions there was the fullest rosy day-break light. After the sun-light reappeared, the black shadow went travelling away to the S.E. exactly like the thunder-storm from the Main. The day then grew worse, and we came home here (after dinner) in pouring rain.
STOCKHOLM, 1851, Aug. 5.
I then by appointment with Sir Edmund Lyons went with him to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Baron Stjerneld, who received me most civilly. My business was to thank him for the orders which had been given to facilitate the landing of our telescopes, &c., &c. He was quite familiar with the names of my party, Humphreys Milaud, &c., so that I trust they have been well received (I have had no letter). He intimated, I suppose at Sir E. Lyons's suggestion, that perhaps King Oscar might wish to see me, but that it would not be on Tuesday. So I replied that I was infinitely flattered and he said that he would send a message to Sir E. Lyons by Tuesday evening. Now all this put me in a quandary: because I wanted to see Upsala, 47 miles off: and the steamboats on the Mälar only go in the morning and return in the morning: and this was irreconcileable with waiting for his Majesty's appointment which might be for Wednesday morning. So after consultation Sir E. Lyons put me in the hands of a sort of courier attached to the Embassy, and he procured a calèche, and I posted to Upsala yesterday afternoon (knocking the people up at 11 at night) and posted back this afternoon. And sure enough a message has come that the king expects me at 11 to-morrow morning. Posting of course is much dearer than steam-boat travelling, but it is cheap in comparison with England: two horses cost 1s. for nearly 7 miles. At Upsala there is a very good old cathedral, I suppose the only one in Sweden: and many things about the University which interested me. I sent my card to Professor Fries, and he entirely devoted himself to me: but imagine our conversation—he spoke in Latin and I in French: however we understood each other very well. It is on the whole a dreary country except where enlivened by lakes: some parts are pine forests and birch forests, but others are featureless ground with boulder stones, like the worst part of the Highlands.
August 6, Wednesday, 3 o'clock.
I rigged myself in black trowsers and white waistcoat and neckcloth this morning. Sir Edmund Lyons called. Baron Wrede called on me: he had observed the Eclipse at Calmar and brought his drawing, much like mine. He conducted me to the Palace. The Minister for Foreign Affairs came to me. In the waiting-room I was introduced to the Lieutenant-Governor of Christianstad, who had had the charge of Humphreys and Milaud. He had placed a guard of soldiers round them while they were observing. They saw the eclipse well. Captain Blackwood went to Helsingborg instead of Bornholm, and saw well. I am sorry to hear that it was cloudy at Christiania, Mr Dunkin's station. I heard some days ago that Hind had lost his telescope, but I now heard a very different story: that he landed at Ystad, and found a very bad hotel there: that he learnt from Murray that the hotels at Carlscrona (or wherever he meant to go) were much worse; and so he grew faint at heart and turned back. I was summoned in to the King and presented by the Minister (Stjerneld), and had a long conversation with him: on the eclipse, the arc of meridian, the languages, and the Universities. We spoke in French. Then Baron Wrede went with me to the Rittershus (House of Lords or Nobles) in Session, and to the Gallery of Scandinavian Antiquities, which is very remarkable: the collection of stone axes and chisels, bronze do., iron do., ornaments, &c. is quite amazing. I was struck with seeing specimens from a very distant age of the Maid of Norway's brooch: the use of which I explained to the Director.
I dined and drove out with Sir E. Lyons, and called at the houses of the Baron Stjerneld and of the Norwegian Minister Baron Duë, and had tea at the latter. Most of these people speak English well, and they seem to live in a very domestic family style. I should soon be quite at home here: for I perceive that my reception at Court, &c., make people think that I am a very proper sort of person.