18 MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



ocean reef and through water varying in depth from 1 to 3 feet, as I have said. From high-water 

 mark other carrying parties transported tlie boxes along the beach of the lagoon and across the 

 island to the site of onr observatories (some 1,.'300 feet farther), which had been selected by Dr. 

 Hastings and myself. On board the Hartford I had prepared a plan of the proposed camp; the 

 position of each observatory was fixed on the ground by a stake, and to this stake all the boxes of 

 each instrument were brought. In this way all proceeded in an orderly manner. By the evening 

 of the 21st all the boxes and baggage of the expedition were landed, as well as bricks, cement, lum- 

 ber, etc., for the observatories. The entire party slept on shore also, and I shall never forget the 

 quiet rest of that cool night after the intensely hot day of active work. 



Our hammocks were slung on the wide veranda of one of the houses close to the beach of the 

 mirror-like lagoon. The wind was cool and fresh as it blew through a break between two of the 

 islands and directly from the open sea, the monotonous roar of whose surf was incessantly heard. 

 The nearly full moon was overhead and the long fronds of the cocoa palms made grotesque shad- 

 ows on the level ground. Occasionally there would be heard the shrill cry of some sea-bird flying 

 over, and other than this and the roar of the breakers there was nothing to disturb the quiet and 

 rest which came as a fitting conclusion to our restless month at sea. 



During the 22d of April the Hartford remained by the island, and a force of carpenters and 

 bricklayers proceeded rapidly with the construction of our observatories. By night time the 

 observatories belonging to myself, Dr. Hastings, and Mr. Preston were up, and piers of brick 

 or wood completed. The brick piers of the English party were well under way and were com- 

 pleted on the 23d by Mr. Woods, who tlius added a new profession to his former acquirements. 



The Hartford sailed at (i p. m. of the 22d for Tahiti and some of us went to the ocean reef 

 to see her oft". Besides her lights, we saw those of VEclaireur, the man ofwar which was bring, 

 ing the French eclipse expedition. Early on the morning of the 23d I met the maitre d'equipage 

 of the Eclaireur on the reef and gave him such information as to the landing, etc., as I was sure 

 would be of use. Shortly after this the French party came on shore for the day, and the morning 

 was spent in aiding them to select a site for their observatories, etc. 



This party consisted of M. Janssen, director of the Observatory of Astronomical Physics of 

 Mendon ; M. Tkouvelot, assistant at the Mendon Observatory ; M. Pasteur, photographer of 

 the Meudon Observatory. These gentlemen were accompanied by M. Tacchini, director of the 

 Observatory of the Eoman College and M. Palisa, astronomer of the Imperial Observatory of 

 Vienna. Besides these astronomers there were seventeen of the crew of IJEclaireur left on 

 shore, making the French party twenty-two in number. Thus the total population of the island 

 was fifty -one in all, including natives. 



Our relations with the gentlemen of the French expedition were throughout of the most cordial 

 cliiiracter, and so far as our researches lay in the same direction, we worked together to a common 

 end. It was a pleasure to us to be able to extend to them what aid was possible, and to receive 

 the same in return. 



During the remaining days of April everything was making progress towards complete readi- 

 iness for observations of tlie eclipse. The observatoi-y of Dr. Hastings and my own were com- 

 pleted by April 27, and each of us used a six-inch equatorial for some hours each night in an 

 examination of the southern sky. During the course of this we detected some new doubles and 

 red stars, a list of which is given later. The vision was not excei^tionally good, and compara- 

 tively few hours were given to telescopic work, owing to tlie impossibility of obtaining a (piiet 



