, 1875-01-09

stations, some OF them Nhe most lnh0Spltabl6
islands Of the Southern seas, engaged upon
one of the most abstract inquiries which can
be imagined. The number of observed Tran
sits has been so few that it is an easy task to
contrast the present arrangements with what
was done in former times. HORROR, one of the
most gifted Of English men Of science-whose
memory, we rejoice to know, will this year be
appropriately, if tardily, perpetuated by a
tablet in Westminster Abbey-predicted the
Transit Of 1899 SO shortly before he observed
it that there was no time, if, indeed, there had
been any desire, to send observers from Eng
land. When the next Transits occurred in the
following centuries In the years 1851 and 1869,
the Expeditions were few. In the former year
we had an English Expedition to Sumatra and
q French one to Pondicherry, neither OF which
reached its destination and there was another
French Expedition to Tobolsk. Observations
were made at many places, the unfortunate lie
Gentil, the French Envoy to Pondicherry,
making bis on board ship. In 1869 came the
celebrated voyage of Captain Chen Lieutenant)
Cook, in the Endcauour, to Otaheite, on be-
half Of England. The King OF Denmark sent
an observer to Lapland; ana the French AGA
demy despatched one to California, IN addition
to LIE Gentil. The latter had waited at Pom
dicherry since 1861 hoping to make up by good
fortune in 1869 for his partial want OF success
in 1851, but the Fates were against him. 1t
will be seen from this rapid statement that so
far as the number of the personnel is concerned,
the nresent Expeditions are beyond all prece-
dent But it is not merely to the personnel
nor to the instruments employed that we wish
10 draw chief attention, but rather to the in
dication8 afforded that the example which Eng
land and France have of old set in promoting
such inquiries is being followed by other ma
tons. and with a most remarkable vlgour ana
intensity Of purpose. Denmark, which took
no mart in these observations, has been replaced
nv the United States, Germany, Holland, and
Iialv. and the part played by these nations
new to this peaceful strife, is most important
The limited States lead all the other nations,
in respect both of the amount of money when
her Government has contributed, and OF the
discomfort. not to say dangers, OF the stations
she has chosen in the Southern seas. Posts OF
importance which were given up as TOO nope
lcssly miserable even for enthusiastic English
astronomers will be occupied by Americans.
The Germans have closely followed England
and the United States in this noble competition,
and although the sum, contributed by the Ger
man GOVERNMENTS small compared with the
American subsidy, the German observations
made in the South seas will be among the most
important obtained by all the expeditions.
With regard to Italy, also, there are the same
SIGNS of scientific enterprise. The spectrosoope,
which forms no part of the equipment of the
English expeditions, was intended by her men
Of science to be their chief weapon of attack,
and as 10 no country is there such a skilled
BODY of spcctroscopists 5 in Italy, this deter
mination was probably not arrived at on sufi-
Gent grounds. What, then, is the meaning OF
all this 1t is that as the world grows older
each nation as it DEVELOPS, as the United
States, Germany, and Italy, have of late large
" developed, noder modern conditions, feels
the necessity for taking a continual and a large
" increasing share in the promotion of science
even in its most abstract forms. 1t should be
q subject of pride for us to know that in this
thew are but following the example set by
England in former centuries, including the
DAYS when George III. was King" Success
fui observations were made at Calcutta, Caro-
Klausenborg (Transy lvania), Alexandra, Hio-
90, Indore, I~=pahan, Melbourne NagaSakl' Ie-
Rerao. and Yokohama. They were partially
favonrable at Adelaide, Hobart Town, Possiet,
Chabarowka, and Tschuita, but totally unta-
vourable at Ornsk, Blagowetschensk Orenburg'
Kasap, Uralsk, Astrachan, Kertsch, TiHis, Err
wan. Nakitschevao, Constantlnople, Tasch-
kent, and Shanghai Ibid.