, 1874-06-07
THE TRANSIT OF VENUS,


The American Scientific Expeditions
| Fro1" the Ntsc Fork Norld. +,"ns l..
Tho steam -sIoop swatara, which has been com
missioned by the Navy Department to convey
the scientists appointed to observe the transit o
Venus Ii December next, has been completely
lifted out, and ls to leave the navy-yard al
brooklyn this afternoon. She will sail to
| Cape Town, Cape OF Good Hope, and thence to
the Crozet islands small group Of rocky ialots,
situated shout latitude 47 deg. south, and long1-
I tudo about 52 deg. east, bearing from the Capo
OF Good Hope abous southeast By cast 1900
miles, Here the first party of observers, consist
ing OF Capt. Raymond, United States Engineers,
Chief Astronomer; Lieut. s. E. Tlllnan, United
States Army, Assistant Astronomer; ". r. Py-
well, Chief Photographer; and J. c. Campbell,
and A. Foster, Assistant Photographers.
about the last week in August or the first
of September, the beginning OF spring in that
hemisphere, and having remained there long
enough to erect the house for the party and to
see them comfortably domiciled with stores for
six months sojourn, the Swatara will go to
tho next stopping-place. Kerguelens Land or
Dissolution Island, which is situated in latitude
40 deg. south, longitude 70 deg east, about
900 miles to the eastward Of the Crozor Islands,
Here the second party will disembark, and will
consist Of Commander Ryan, United States Navy,
chief astronomer; Liout.-Commander e. J.
Kain, assistant astronomer; D. r. Holmes, Chief
photographer; G. ". DWyer and J. Stanley, As-
s1stant Photographers; and DR.. J. H. Kiddey, as
on to the eastward, keeping in nearly the Same
parelel Of latitude in order to avail herself Of
the almost constant westerly winds which pre-
vail in these high Bouthnrn parallels and which
canvas alone and economize her coal until eho
reaches Hobart Town. on the southeastern
coast OF Van Dieman's Land, and about
5000 miles to the eastward Of Kergnclens Land |
Prof. ". Harkness, U. s. n, Chief Astronomer;
L. Waldo, Assistant Astronomer W. ]. Moran, |
Chief Photographer; and W. H. Churchill and !
". Devereux, Assistant Photographers. Here |
the ship will redt and her stay here will be pro-
longed to q couple Of weeks. From this point !
the course Of the ship will be little to the
northward OF east. towards the port OF Auckland,
On the northeast coast OF the Island Of New
Zealand, in latitude about IS deg. south
miles from Hobart IOWA, where tbs fourth
party Of scientists will land consisting OF Prot.
c. H. I. Peters, Of Hamilton College, Chief As
tronomer; Lieut. E. ". Bass, United States
eEa,y' Assistant J. Philppi
and H. Ayme, Assistant Photographers. The |
swatara Will again steer of to the eastward, for
Chatham Island, her last stopping-place before
'he transit Of the planet This island Is stu
|76 deg. west, and is about 500 miles from Auck-
and. The party assigned to this place is E.
smith, United States Coast Survey, Chief A.
ronomer; A. R. Scott, United States Coast
,rapher and Q. Buehlor and " a Rau, As-
istant Photographers. Here the ahip will re-
1ain as protection to the party, the natives Of
Lis and the neighboring Island Of CORVALLIS
ot being absolutely Trustworthy, as they
re somewhat strongly suspected OF can ]
ibalism, and the party will mako their !
ome upon the ship. The transit will take J
lace on the 9Th OF December, and by about the
9th OF that month the party at Chatham !
sland will bo ready to return, and the Swatara
Da | I
:acing her eastward way, she will steer to the J
eastward ant pick up the Auckland party, and !
rom thence so to Hobart Town, and taking this
arty on board. proceed with then to Sidney, :
here they will all be landed, and whence they
an make their way across the Pacific to Ban |
rancisco hy steamer, and thence by rail to the
astern states. The 6watara will then come home |
ia Capo Horn, leaving the two parties at Ker-
aelens md the Crozets to be picked up by an
ther vessel; or it may be that the Swatara will n
le Cape OF Good Hope.
The scientists for the three northern stations c
observation, viz: Vladirostock, Russia; Pc =
ing, China; and Nagasah, Japan, will not 70
II in the Swatara, but will proceed to their sta
ons via San Francisco, where they celll take =
Gamer to NaRasaki, where the Unit4l6tates +
Gamer Lackawanna will meet thom a1iInnjruoy =
EN- to their destination, The rtySgSst or 8
esa thTeo stations is rs follows: r
Vladirostock- Astronomer, Prof. s, B
ail United States Navy; Assistant, O. 8. 6
hee.ar; Chief Photographer, D. r. Clark F
'sistants, J. S, Tappan, G. J. Rockwell, and F. =
. Lacy. =
Picking. china-Chiet Astronomer, Prof. Wat + +
A. Young OF Dartmouth College; Chief | B
photographer. ". =. Ranger; Assistants, Dr. E. i
atsou, and b. J. Conrad, G
khgasak-Chief Astronomer, Prof Davidson. y
alted States Coast Surrey; Assistant, 0. Il. 4
tman, United States Coast Survey. =
| ..