New-York tribune., 1873-01-02
PREPdRING ZOE VENUS.

A correspondent furnishes this morning, in
a report of paper read by Prof Newcomb
before the Washington Philosophical Society,
the first succinct account yet given, OF the
proceedings of the Government Commission
in reference to the approaching transit OF
Venus. The interest for US which peculiarly
attaches to this matter, aside from the I'M
measurable value of the observations to
the scientific world, is in the fact
that the event is to be made the Oc-
casion of an international tournament. The
field of the cloth of gold lies in this instance
in a narrow strip of sunshine stretching from
the Aleutian islands over part of China and
down through the Indian Ocean toward the
Southern Pole. England, France, Italy,
Russia, Germany, and America will be well
represented at available points along this
imaginary line. and the most valued positions
are those furthest TO the South and North;
especially the former The possibilities OF
unprOpitous weather constitute the one ele-
mcnt of uncertainty These may reduce the
best laid plans to utter failure. BY placing
observers at considerable number of sta
tions, the chances of failure from this cause
are materially reduced. In all else it is a con-
test of pure scientific skill, in which, to borrow
the phraseology of the prize ring, " the best
"man WINS"
AS nearly as possible the investigations have
nothing of what is ordinarily denomipated
practicaln in their bearing. They are the
problems of pure science, to be solved only
for the sake of knowledge. This occasion will
serve, therefore, as some test of the question
raised recently by Prof. Tyndall, following the
lead of De TOcqueyile, whether republican
institutions are conducive to the development
of scientific inquiry. 1t is noteworthy that we
are to observe the transit in our own peculiar
way. We have before adverted to the emf
nence attained in this country in the applica-
ton of photography to the measurement of
celestial distances. 1t now appears that there
is great unanimity among Onr astronomers IN
believing that this is the best method for re-
cording observations at the transit. More
curious STILL is the method to be adopted in
respect to keeping the image stationary. The
telescope is to be Of unusual length. This
monster is not to be moved in direc-
ton contrary to the motion OF the earth;
he ia to lie extended, prone. The image
passed through the telescope is to come from
a camera which has the requisite motion, 80
that it continually follows the sun, capturing
the image very much as marksman with a
rifle brings down game on the wing. Perhaps
the most cheering circumstance in this entire
business, is that there is at last some use to
be found for Alaska. Somewhere in the
Aleutian Islands there is possibly good
place for station. We hope the observers will
be sent there at an early date, so that their
CROPS may be well forward, and that in case of a
fog at the time of the transit they can console
themselves with the abundant strawberries
and bananas which the bounteous soil of
our Northwestern purchase was guaranteed
TO produce. 1t would be a pity for the
scientific gentlemen to be reduced to sphagnum
onl frain-nil