, 1874-12-09
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.
Remarks by AIr. Colbert on tho
Transit Of Vonus.

1tCiAAlAo OJ nAe NVAuVAt VII tQu
Transit Of Venus.
Paper on Natural History by Mr.
Calkius.
Prof Delufontaino and Hydro
Chlornl.
Tl,e tegulnr monthly meeting Of the Acadcrny
0: SooMeea Was held last ovouiug at tuor rooms,
No. 203 Wabash avonuc. tho plenidont in tho
chair
VINO ptHcoynnED 1TP
Whrh tho n,lnuos OF tho November meeting
wcro read, Mr. Il. L. Ebert dcelrcd to correct an
error III tAem. Prof. De1afontoino, ao ana.
waB represented as claimlug to be tho dincovnror
Of tho ol1eots Of tho infusion Of hYdro-ch'orni
With tho hlooa Of animh,s. uo dill not think
tho Professor made eicll claim.
Prof. poafoutaino roplled Tint tho minutes
correctly represented tho ro1nnrl;a liz made. He
stascd That ho lid mike the tllscoyoty.
Dir. Ebort eahl that srlontlllc Journals sot
forth TINT Nous. Tirrons, II t'rosloh chemist,
made thst discovery long while ago.
Tho preniaons interposoa, saT'ng that tho
unchtion os 1stiaYi.e ~ to tho discovery was not
properly hoioro tho Academy. A discussion Of,
l1at question wovld bs proper at another limo.
Tho question, boforo them w1s whethor tho mln-
ttsY were correct m to What occurred 1t tao last
,ncoting.
4 tnonher moved tho ntlop.ion Of tho minutes.
aud tho motion. boiug pal. was agrood to.
Tito Secretary than rcad tbs following
List or DONORS
since tho 1aet 1hcpttng Fl. 9. Froo1nhn, Cobden.
I'LL. Lieut.. o. ". Novel;, Annawan, Ill.,; satuuel
Johnson. Chicagp, Prof. J. II. McCho'neY, o.
". Wcscott. tho Hon. J. D. Cntou. j. ". Fel!c,
mud Eln1lnd Norton, Chicago, who donated a
foasil r,,pa from Wilmington. Ill. Donors to tho
library. Tho Smithsonian 1nstitnto, several for
cign societies, and If. ". Boyd.
Reports Of Committees wero then called for.
md, tlcro being no response. Prof. Da'afon.
taino desired thn privilege Of vnd[c atlng h1t,1>
nclf. Tho President replied. Baying that all op-
pnr.untty would BE- afforded him when mfscel-
laneous busihcas srcro loachcd.
THE TRANaiT OF VENUE.
Mr.. L. Colbert etnted TINT ho wished 10 call the
attention Of tho ACADEMY to tllo fncs chat The
pruBont 1.lcung NH held ut QUO Of rho mort in~
rnrtent scientific epuclla in tho worlds history.
He raid:
Tllu tranaIt Of yonus over The SUMS disc, as
RqaH from tim Garth, occurs tn-ntKhti IT II now
in prcRrcau. 1T minut0g boforo o'clock tho
plaact ,npinged ontt,o northeastern edge Of tho
sun. Ms snon by observers to whom tho phtnotu-
onon is in tho zenith; and IT will raes of at Tho
northwestern odgo about sc n''nuscs after our
5nE A. tho pssssns menT t, SH,Hry msny
on. the surface of the eun. Moro than
hundred Telescopes arc pointed at 1t.
and aooros OF trninc1 observors are reading
OF tho distances Of tho scot from the ueateat
aic-ometer, Several dozens Of sots Of p1,oto-
graplic apparatus have bsen examined and ad-
iuetcl for tile Inst tine. and aro now beng used
At ratio which ticks OIL q photograph Of ths God
tera aro boing Get and read. and get aud Eond
agn:n, to tho bately audtblo ticking OF tho
chronomctor In short. tho work for Which 50
many mon 1aye Eccn In trainfHR for months
waas. for which 40 rnnuy instruments lavo boen
nsado, 30 MANY tourneYa tnkcn, 20 mtlo., money
c1ucndcd, and SO many calculations and fpoeu-
latiooa !ndu1ecd IN. is now hoing performed.
Tho SUI and Tho planet nro both beloT orr
horizon. They Will bo below. 1t I'll alter tho
transit ls over. Not oniy VIC, but tho whole OF
tho American Continent is excluded from q Wow
Of the ;,henogneua., excapt that thnao WHO o.
cupy tho western tip OF tho Alaskan peninsula
may view tho beginning Of tho transit just be-
fore tAs nua acts, nnd 400 him SILK beneath The
! Mcnnon was called awar Just as it Ind begun to
ye;ea1 slso secrets Of tho Egyntian ryremids. It
| will nlko DO visible, for n fow moments only,
! from Cnce Horn ; but neither Of tlloae points
will he available for purposes of eclenlilio OBJ
pcryation, brcavso tho iefrac:1on Of our a.mos-
phcre nenr tho HORIZON d4etorts the smaga at tho
| eun too much to po'mlt Of accurate measutc-
| ,uent.
several thousands Of miles distant from Chicago.
sta,v Of tllon, arc not far from our antpolos.
But this very fact rader adds to our interest
| than dimlnishes It. Nc cauuot join them ia
Watching tic gradual stealing Of that little.
| dark si'cci: across tie face of tho sun hut NO
can follow them in tAeir auxieties and efforts to
ohtaiu tho quantities which will enable astsono-
| tnela to Gotro the problem OF tho nincteonth
century. Nay :our irtorc0t is even Increased
more anxiouR than ii by tho bedside OF the loved
| one. Wo ma7 picture to ourselves faint the
| intense disappointment OF those ~ltohAvo eailcd
uronuda large part Of tue eIo6e only to find
loves labor entirely lost. Neither cnp one for"
| rot tho possibility lint not few of the observ-
ers hava awaited tho event with i trembling OK
pectancy which has ulistrune their nerves, and
nomcnou with that phiEoaopl,iu calm1ess that ia
&c essential to accuracy ln the result deduced
| from their work.
As rrofesscd!y scientific body, which rccog-
nizcs onlv tho operation Of natural law in the
caueation OF natural phenomena, we canaot pray
that the observers may be blessed with calm
minds and o|eas ekios. and even II we did not
so feel. seoins that the transit is already partial!
" over We NAV Fay TINT 1T 's ast rrafinS for. y
But nc cannot help wishing ttIoul eucceBs; md
tlat 40 strongly that tho effort will be scnrcels
Icas than dovolioual it We accept tue deIutiol
| that
Prayer ts tho Rous slncoro desire,
| filtered or Eaexpro76ch:
1 Tim !nntfDu Of Ilf1cu fire.