REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45 



sonian Report for 1900, certain conclusions were drawn regard- 

 ing its temperature. These observations attracted widespread 



interest and discussion among- the astronomical public, and it 

 became of importance to verify and extend them if possible. 



Hence it seemed to be desirable that an expedition should 

 proceed to the island of Sumatra to observe the long eclipse 

 there. The Institution did not, however, ask for a second 

 appropriation from Congress. 



The United States Naval Observatory, which had secured 

 such an appropriation, had courteously ottered to take one of 

 the Institution's staff as a part of its own expedition. Since, 

 however, the Institution wanted the Sumatra work to com- 

 plete its own special work of the previous year, and since it 

 would involve the use of large special apparatus belonging to 

 it, it was deemed better that it should,send out a party of its 

 own, though on a most modest scale. 



The party sent out from the Institution consisted of Mr. 

 C. G. Abbot, Aid Acting in Charge of the Smithsonian 

 Observatory, and Mr. Paul Draper. 



Through the permission of the Secretary of War and by 

 the good offices of Brig. Gen. M. I. Ludington, Quartermaster- 

 General, transportation was secured to Manila and return by 

 the army transport service. The Secretary of the Navy con- 

 sented that the Institution's expedition should be carried from 

 Manila to Padang and return in the same vessel with the expe- 

 dition of the United States Naval Observatory. My acknowl- 

 edgments are further due the Hon. F. W. Hackett, Assistant 

 Secretary of the Navy, for very effective aid in perfecting 

 these arrangements. Letters of introduction to Dutch offi- 

 cials were obtained from the Department of State of the 

 United States, and from his excellency Baron W. A. F. 

 Gevers, minister of the Netherlands. 



Mr. Abbot and Mr. Draper sailed on February 16 in the 

 transport Sheridan from San Francisco, arriving at Manila 

 on March 15, whence, seven days later, they embarked on the 

 United States naval transport Gem ralAlwa, reaching Padang. 

 Sumatra, on April 1, from which point they proceeded to 

 Solok, a small town in the interior, which, though about 

 twenty-five miles north of the central eclipse track, was chosen 

 as having the best meteorological record of any part of the 

 island, and because of its location on a railroad. Nothing 



