“O Almighty and Eternal God! at Whose command worlds burst forth from chaos and darkness to perfection, without Whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, we Thy unworthy servants humbly implore Thee to look down upon us who are assembled in Thy Most Holy Name; and may we so consider our present undertaking that we proceed not lightly in it, or recede from it dishonourably, but pursue it steadfastly, ever remembering that the object and intent of our journey is to learn obedience to Thy sacred laws. Also grant to us Thy Truth, that Thou being our Ruler and Guide we may so pass through things temporal as finally not to lose the things eternal, and as Thou never failest those who trust Thee, be now our Guide. For we know that our eternal welfare is considered in every atom and law of the ineffable mysteries of Creation, and that from all eternity, now and through endless time, Thou art the Being from Whom all perfection springs. “And bringing us safely through this solar fire, grant that we may use the knowledge gained to Thy Glory. May it inspire us with the most exalted idea of Thee, and lead us to the exercise of pure and solemn piety and a greater reverence for the Universe and Thee, the Eternal Maker and Ruler of it and of its life; the primordial source of all its principles and the very spring and fountain of all its virtues. Amen.” On rising, Dennis remained silent for a few moments and then, after a few preliminary words on the danger which possibly threatened them, he proceeded,— “The diameter of the sun is supposed to be about 866,500 miles, as you know; we will, of course, measure this and ascertain its accuracy. We have been sailing in the curiously shaped corona for over five million miles, in fact we entered the corona at a height of about twelve of its diameters, or, roughly speaking, when we were ten million four hundred thousand miles from its surface. And as you will see through the darkened sun-screens, we are in the midst of the vast clouds and flames lying over the solar atmosphere, and even here, sound-insulated as we are, the noises of the explosions and collidings of the vast jets of vapour which are hurtling around us on all sides are unpleasantly evident. Thanks to our net, the shell of the vessel is not advanced the fraction of a degree in temperature, and you will notice the de-atomising force around the ship prevents any of the jets of fire and vapour from touching us. From the fact that for some distance back the flames and fiery vapour have played about us, and at this height we are encountering vaporous metals at enormous pressure, we gain an idea of what the force must be on the surface of the sun itself. And my partners and I thought it a time for us all to consult together as to the manner in which the observations shall be conducted.” Here he paused, and Crawford Rollsborough, the chief astronomer on board, asked,—