John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

16. Returned to Boston this Morning in the Quincy Stage— I soon after went to Mr: Bussey’s; in whose garden, the gentlemen of the philosophical Society met to take the observation of the Solar Eclipse— It commenced at 3 minutes 21 seconds past 10 in the morning.— At XI.22.38 the total obscurity commenced. At XI.27.9. The first ray of the Sun, 241blazed out from behind the moon. and at XII.48.1. the Eclipse ended. The total obscuration continued more than four minutes and a half— The sky during the whole time was unusually clear, and not a speck of cloud was visible on the horizon— At the commencement of the eclipse the thermometer in the shade stood at 68— It fell gradually, untill the end of the total obscurity, when it stood at 57.— There it remained stationary about a quarter of an hour—then began to rise, untill at the end of the eclipse it was at 67. and a few minutes after at 70— The fading of the Sun’s light, from its greatest splendour, untill its total extinction was peculiar, differing much from that of the usual declining day, on the approach of Evening— Six or eight Stars were visible, during a considerable part of the time. The planet Venus particularly appeared as large and as bright in the darkness, as it usually does in the Evening— The Colours of natural objects appeared to the eye with a tinge different from any thing I had ever seen. during the total concealment of the Sun, The Center of the Moon’s disk, appeared black as ebony; but the shade appeared gradually less black to the circumference, which was of a dusky brown— A feeble luminous circle, not equally light in every part surrounded the edge of the moon, and beyond that circle, a coruscation fainter and fainter shot forth in angular aspects extended to a distance equal to about the semidiameter of the moon; the western side of the hemisphere being that from which the moon advanced, was much darker than the Eastward on which part the sun’s rays were last shut in, and during the whole time the borders of the horizon were very luminous throughout their extent— The darkness was about equal to that of half an hour after Sun-set at this Season of the year— Or much like the darkness of midnight, which I have witness’d in June, at St: Petersburg.— About fifteen seconds before the first returning Sun-beam, a line of deep crimson, appeared on the moon’s edge, on the limb, where the Sun was about to issue— But the most striking appearance was the first returning beam; it was about two seconds supportable to the naked eye, and in brightness far exceeded any thing I ever beheld— It was remarkable that for two or three minutes before the Sun’s disappearance, it could be looked at without the shelter of a glass; though it was so immediately intolerable on its return.— The effect of the momentary gloom was heightened by the contrasted splendor of the day, before and after. The Cattle, and poultry discovered the symptoms of Night, and followed their usual habits on its approach— The swallows appeared surprized, and flew with that wild irregularity, which is described as betokening the approach of an Earthquake.— The atmosphere had the chilness of Night but there was no fall of dew— Upon the whole the phenomenon was principally curious on account of its uncommonness— Having never occurred at this place since the settlement of the Country; and being not to happen again for several centuries— Mr: Bussey entertained us with a cold collation, between the first re-appearance of the Sun, and the end of the Eclipse— I dined at Sheriff Allen’s, in Company with Governor Strong, and several other Gentlemen— In the afternoon I was somewhat unwell— Read Marmontel, late at Night.