I thought helium was named for the sun (Helios), by spectral analysis of sunlight. In hindsight it's weird that they can know that in the 19th century (per Wikipedia of Helium) and the next conclusion has to wait until 1925, with controversy.
They probably thought it was an inert atmosphere found on the Sun but having nothing to do with the operation of the Sun. Without nuclear physics, it wouldn't be an unreasonable conclusion.
And the helium that can be "seen" on the Sun is not due to fusion IN the Sun, but rather is from the gas cloud from which the Sun formed. The solar core and the surface are not connected by convection.
Not, if you know that there was simply not even a concept of nuclear fusion in 19th century, and that the year of discovery of electron is 1897, and of the existence of atomic nucleus 1909.
Tangentially, but also interesting and illuminating how non-trivial all that was at that times, neutron was discovered as late as 1932 -- the same year that Hitler became chancellor of Germany. It is that recent, and it was that hard.
