, 1874-10-17
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.

A,t1,,rr,, +crn,,ix uponk{no Ewo trnp.;A. NJ
~ "oeu' 4o"h' ~. =.
Nonus occlr IN q cehtn1y, oAls 1out ha7h thus
far heon notod by aatronomcfa' Tho first Of
thcsn took pinco In lodi, and MAS predicted by
Koplcr. but not observed. Tho second. Ii, 1890,
vas pre,llolod aad observer. by 5ason'eh ll0rraz'
q cusato Oh toe sn'aso .. 1Ao's' ioas ,"'otlool'
who was mucll devoted to astronomical pursuits.
His observations lavo hcen Of great value in
porfec,inr tho tables Of vonus. The third
tans1, IN lua, .a,om maS 1,n ;,ur'1,
ohsorvca oS vas'onA as.to"on1o''. so 1no ,onsln
transis. occurring IN ltb3, was 1ao hnhJcat OF
general observation among tho Ht'sdents Of tho
hcayous. Tho tranaits Of VonuB OCCUR In pairs
"a n vcrc with m interval of oiglt yoors bo-
fwocn ~ ~ thc twn. Tho u,,cnou,euo,, viii 10 re-
roatn1 n ncron,bcr of tho nroeout your. and
puaiuq psu"i, l., - 1as9 0oN-'SA ''
Fnr tho observation of tho noasly.approachjnp
transit, yery extensive preparations hayo been
.nont has sont oxneditlons Ia ntno different gto-
tionn, Two OF these arc located on Korguelo,l's
Island, In Tho Antarctic Ocoau,--ono III Christ
INNS Harl,or, il, lie north, aud nnc iu thu sol,t
Sandwich ISLANDS, quo at Honolulu, one on tito
IsIand OF Hn*aiit and ono OIL tho Island Of
Knunt, eon.ctlmes called Atooi two stations sro
In Egypt.-o,lc ut Alexandria urA ono ut Cairo;
wllilo ruo station Is nlaced nt Chrigtchroh Now
Zcn!al,l. and Quo At Rodrigncz. II, ndaitou to
with Instruments mud appliances Of every re-
uu[rcl sort, thoro il q private expedition, ,,i,-
dor the Astronomer ioynlH direction, Mt Thcbes,
md one sent by tho Indian Government, wltcl,
Dnetles tiesc tho ohscrvatoricH ut ola,lraB, Cape
of 0ood Heno, Melbourne, and Sydney, will Nc-
comrllsll NIL that IL possible iu old Of tho deaire
results; a'd the Government Of Now Hoilth
Waloh laa provided for obueryaliona III Aus
tralia. Tho aforementioned expeditions aro
sustained ut tho expense Of tho British doyern-
mont but still alather has l,ocil prcparod,-a
purely private enterprise results OF ::lltoh
gro TO bo rcckoned to tho credit OF ureat
britain. Lord l!ndaay will take up his position
At Nanrittus, with the hest.c4nipped party eves
provided for by altHla individual. His tnHtru.-
1nenss arc OF the moHt porfoct description, and
10 will utilize oil tho different modes OF osor'a-
tlon.
Tho Gortna1lH send out expeditions to Chefoo,
horgtoen laana' tt,o a., Aucaiana laianas, sla.nlt'
er s to nd d,rcct;nn ~ IT, hn,rcr, vii rolv cctlv
moi, lilo lcliometrlc method OF observation,
Tho RusaiauB dispatch twonty-eix expeditions.
Mcl. VIII work prlnclpat!y ~ gsasiona IN s!osla'
Inc niasons osen ~, vi, a.o o ,,t,1aa To
monso of tic Dugplan expeditions will 10 do
frayed by Government; and II. Otto Str,1ro lns
charge OF thom oil. Iho French VII OCCUPY
steaas ala:9s ~ pe,,1s ~ nnS n sston ny"
ana saoaniory ~ ststioms NJ IiontH gnran Mr.,
nlft Dr0nREIY iS1HQl1fA+ IN tho 1taF0ucaH3t
Their observers will rely 1nainly on the photo
gtnphie methoI. M Inc fIol1ch Government IT has
vo!en aoo'ooo 'iaaee IL eaop't' " sn' on>es~
Thn 1Ymte gtatoa l,os erantel A15o ono for Tho
object, and so,ds expeditions, composed of five
parsonH encI,, to the following eight stations !:
Tlatlnostoek, s'neria, Irot. a. Hnn' =; >. A., u
enas3n Ga"st mr.a,. 'ra, - pch; ,;na
I'rof. James c. Watson: Crozot,s Ialn,i. South
Indian Oceau, Capt. Raymond, U. S. A.; ker-
Euoen's Island, l4lertonant. .Commant!ar George
+. lynn. Y. =. r. .a9gRtt Io"n, 1asn'4nlt'
~, Il T. n.sora 1,i,ayh,,, 1ui,n'3 snmti, pa,
clio. Mr. Eiwjn Smith. Unitod Ytalcs Coast
Survey. Tho Ita1ia.s send ont three cxpcdi-
tio!,s aud tho Dutch one,--to tho Island OF
bourbon, or ltcunicu.
Thus lo coming transit will be observed Mt
| about seventy five stations. at many Of which
| there wilt DO o largo number III Instruments
| rio totnl expense Of the expeditions will range
between $750.oo0 and :sl.0oo,ooU. Tho astro-
nonlioai advantages which aro ex,,cotet to bo
gained by shoHe observations are u, Improvement
| Of tho Lunar theory, and reimbursement Of Inc
l