XVI. Electro-physiological researches. Eleventh Series by Carlo Matteucci, pp. 363-72; and [Stewart Super Flare/ Carrington Event] On the Great Magnetic Disturbance Which Extended from August 28 to September 7, 1859, as Recorded by Photography at the Kew Observatory, pp. 423-430 [in]: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Vol. 151 (1861)

London: Taylor and Francis, 1861. Whole issue (230 x 290 mm). [3] 327-653pp.; 13 p.l. (Plates VI.--XIX.) Original printed wrappers, mostly uncut & unopened.

The Carrington Event was the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history, peaking from 1 to 2 September 1859, causing auroral displays seen worldwide as well as sparking and even fires in multiple telegraph stations. The geomagnetic storm was most likely the result of coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun colliding with the Earth's magnetosphere; this geomagnetic storm was associated with a very bright solar flare on 1 Sept. 1859. This even was observed and recorded independently by British astronomers Richard Christopher Carrington (1826-1875) and Richard Hodgson (1804-1872) - the first records of a solar flare.

Richard Carrington presented his paper to the Royal Astronomical Society at the 11 November 1859 meeting, describing his observations of the super flare of 11 Sept 1859; however, Carrington was not willing to committ professionally to connecting the magnetic disturbance with the event he had observed on the surface of the sun [sun spots]. In the paper read by Balfour Stewart to the Society, referring to Carrington's work he cites the previous research of Edward Sabine, establishing a correlation between sunspots and magnetic storms. Stewart was able to correctly advabce the theory that the event observed by Carrington and the magnetic disturbance recorded at that same time were in fact connected. The magnetic phenomena that occurred at about 11:18 GMT on 1 Sept. 1859 are now known as a Solar Flare Effect - but wouldn't be proven for another 80 years! (Balfour Stewart. Wikipedia.org. Accessed 11/4/2022).


ALSO: XVIII. Electro-physiological researches. -- Eleventh series. On the secondary electro-motor power of nerves, and its application to the explanation of certain electro-physiological phenomena. By Signor Carlo Matteucci. Communicated by General Sabine, Treas. and V.P.R.S., p. 363. "Carlo Matteucci (1811-1868) was an Italian physicist and neurophysiologist who was a pioneer in the study of bioelectricity. (wikipedia.ord. Accessed 11/4/2022). Stewart Balfour (1828-1887), physicist and meteorologist, born at Edinburgh on 1 Nov. 1828, was son of William Stewart, a tea merchant of Leith, and his wife Jane, daughter of the Rev. William Clouston, for sixty years minister of Stromness, Orkney. William Stewart belonged to the Stewarts of Brough, Orkney, who at one time owned the Fair Isle and other land. This property was subsequently left by a cousin of Balfour Stewart to charities, and formed ‘the Stewart Endowment,' of which Sir Walter Scott was a trustee. According to family tradition, Scott took the characters of Minna and Brenda in the ‘Pirate' from Jane Clouston and her sister. A brother, the Rev. Charles Clouston of Sandwick, Orkney, was a meteorologist. Balfour Stewart's grandmother belonged to the family of Balfours of Balfour. (Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 54. Stewart Balfour. Accessed 11/4/2022).