James Craig Watson
The gunboat sailed for Japan on 3 August 1874 and reached Nagasaki on the 5th to await a party of scientists - headed by the noted American astronomer, Professor James Craig Watson—which had been sent to the Orient to observe the transit of Venus that would take place on 8 December. After welcoming on board these renowned leaders of astrophysical research, she got underway on 3 September and, five days later, entered the Pei-Ho River. On the 9th, the astronomers went ashore at Tianjin and proceeded overland to Peking, their observation point for the transit.