The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-30

to the hundreds of thousands of persons who
are following the course of this trial
The Transit OF Venus.
Elsewhere we give in fuller detail the'story
of the operations of the American TT asit Of
Venus party in Japan. ON outline of which, as
our readers will remember, was given in our
special dispatches by telegraph from that and
other stations Immediately after the occur
renee of the great astronomical event-of the
century.
of practical value to us, as it will determine
our distance from the sun. As-the pilot as
certains his distances from given headland by
noting the angle ct which some familiar spire
or tree intervenes, so the astronomers, by an
observation similar in principle, but COM
puted with scientific accuracy, hope to
enlarge their knowledge of our relation to the
the distance from the sun are less obviously
satisfactory, because they depend upon facts Of
which our theoretical explanations may err ct
some unknown point Thus, if we attribute
given velocity to light, and base upon the
fact that q roy passes from the sun to the
earth in specified time that therefore tho
distance is proportionate number of miles
this will be accurat,. if our theory in regard
to the velocity of light is not erroneous. But
that is m "if'' of consequence. In the facts
of the transit there-is o far more positive basis
for computation.
It was desired in these observations to as
certain at exactly what instant of time the
edge of the planet Venus and the apparent
edge Of tho sun were in line from given
point of the earth's surface. This alone, by
comparison of the time at which the same
contact was apparent at other widely distant
points, would give an important indication.
1t was further desired to measure the cusps or
horns formed at given periods of the time
when the planet should hide portion of the
edge of the sun and, further, the distances
from the edge of the planet to the edge of the
sun on both sides when the planet should
appear to be laid on the suns disk. For all
these observations whose value depended on
their minute accuracy not only was clear
weather necessary, but the presence at all the
chosen points of men of trained capacity and
of instruments proven to operate with
the greatest conceivable accuracy. It is
the tendency of modern science to free
investigation in the greatest possible de-
gree from that fertile source of error, the fall
libility of the human senses. At the critical
moment of ON observation prepared with so
much care a casual tremor due to a nervous
condition that oil would readily comprehend
might incapacitate an observer of the finest
genius; and if the observation were made in
the happiest circumstances an error in the
record might be irremediable. Hence the wis.
dom of making 1.-THE whole observation by
the Photographic process-almost matter of
machinery. All the admirable preparations
to this end made by our men at Nagasaki are
detailed in the letter referred to. Not the least
admired must be that continuance of Ameri-
can ingenuity by which the instrument that
brought the picture of the planets to the pho
tographer's object glass was made so to oper-
ate that the effects of the relative change of
position of the earth and sun was overcome
by the imperceptible establishment of the
apparatus; while the relationship of astron-
omy to common things is amusingly shown in
the rehearsal of the observation upon false
Venus put up on neighboring hill
Hitherto men have been seen cooperating
with one another in various ages in common
interest; but never on such q scale, never
with such moral grandeur as on
this occasion. All the people Of o city
have combined as citizens for some case of
| int 70 ho off cifi
built; and oil the people of common country
have joined hands for national reasons. Often
also men have classed themselves together on
grounds higher than those of national
obligation as men of the same race,
or the same religion, or even as
the civilized against the barbarous peoples.
But this is the first time that men have been
and have joined themselves in the fellowship
of an inquiry of interest to all, not as they
are the inhabitants of the same city or
country or people of the same race, but as
they are the common occupants of the same
planet. This we take it, is the largest gen.
eralization yet made of men for any common
enterprise; and this is On outgrowth of the
modern spirit, consequence of the robust
thought that induces man to contemplate him.
self as "the servant and interpreter of nature"
who is to master her secrets according to the
intelligence of his inquiries. With the thought
of the myriads of men in all the nations in
spired by this spirit what may We not antici-
pate for the increase of knowledge in the
future ages?
The Now Monarchy in Spain.