Year: 1875

the observers of the transit. In comparison
with other nations, the Americans appear In
one respect fortunate; nowhere dld they
suffer complete failure, photographs being
taken at every station. This was not the
case with the French. who after making
very meritOriOus effort to occupy Campoeii
Isand-a remote station presenting many
practical Observation-Disclosures no observation
there at ALL being quite unable to see
the sun on the day of the transit.
The English failed almost totally in New
Zealand, where they mad several good instru-
ments and skilled observers, while the Amer
lean party there met exceptional success, be-
ing on higher ground. The astronomers OF
this country are also sure of at least one good
set of observations in north latitude to COM
pare with at least one good set taken IN the
south: while England is still uncertain whether
her observers, separated by longitude rather
than latitude, have secured any two good sets
of observations wide apart whose data
are strictly comparable. Unqucstiona-
bly, ours is good fortune. but
it is not good fortune alone; it is chiefly a
consequence of the wise selection OF stations
by the Transit Commission. OF course, IN the
details of equipment and in other minor mat
ters, we are somewhat wiser after the event,
and astronomers in 1882 will profit by the mis-
takes as well as the good judgment OF TO-
day; but on the whole there is great reason
for satisfaction with the work of 1874


There is yet, however, one serious element
of uncertainty about a large proportion of the
American work. Nobody yet can say surely
whether the portraits of Venus will serve az
testimony till the cross-examinaton is COM
pletc. After the microscopes and the meas
uring machines have been applied to these
photographs at Washington they may be ruled
out of court. Already it is alleged that most
of them arc indefinite in outline, and that
some of them are distorted that the cOllo-
dion may be shrunken Or the pictures injured
during travel. We have yet, however, to hear
the other side of the story, and it seems more
probable that accurate results can be obtained
from the automatic records of sunlight than
from the observations Of the human eye, even
though man be as completely an automaton
as Prof. Huxley would have us believe.


Regarded as a whole, the observations OF
all nations on the transit of Venus have OBJ
tanned great success. When the time comes
for international comparisons, there Is the ma
tcral for the most absolute results. How far
off that time may be in mOnths or years we
shall not surmisc, but the remark OF Prof.
Young, that we might hope TO obtain what
was needed when We combAc these results
with those to be made in 1882, il not encour-
aging to people who are in a hurry. Mean
while, among the mnof results OF the ob3erva-
tions, there are two points OF Importance es-
tabllshed. The exact measurement OF the disk
of Venus, never possible before because OF the
glare of the planet in telescope, has now
been attained. The atmosphere Of Venus has
been found TO contain the vapor Of water
fact which will be added TO tho number OF
proofs already accumulated, that all the mom-
bars of our solar system had in the remote
past common origin.