92 (TRANSIT OF VENUS.) PROF. McLEOD: REPORT OF 
It may be proper to add that the longitude of the station as taken from the map of 
the Government Land Survey is 6" 28" 29°0. 
Advantage was taken of every clear day to practice with the telescope; making 
record of times as if the transit of Venus were actually taking place. 
The method of recording times which was adopted was as follows: Mr. H. V. Payne, 
of the Meteorological Office, Toronto, who assisted me, called out the seconds from 0 to 60 
and made a record of each minute as it passed. When I called “now” he wrote the 
corresponding second (to the nearest half second) in a column opposite to the minute 
previously recorded. Haying made this entry he continued counting until another signal 
was given. After the second time was recorded, Mr.Payne wrote from my dictation what 
was supposed to have been observed. This method was strictly adhered to during the 
actual observation, and a short statement of what was observed was written immediately 
after each contact. 
On the morning of December 6th, the sun was obscured by cloud and snowdrift 
until after nine o’clock. When the sun had risen above the cloud and snow banks it 
remained visible until it had again sunk behind them in the afternoon. The temperature 
during the time of the observation of contacts was 18° below zero (Fahr.) and the velocity 
of the wind was 24 miles per hour. 
On reaching the station shortly before 11 A. M. and directing the telescope on the 
sun it was found to shake so violently as to make it impossible to keep the sun in view. 
We immediately set to work to screen the telescope from the wind. After moving it 
back so that it stood entirely within the shelter we covered the roof opening with the 
exception of a hole about one foot square through which the sun could be seen before and 
after contacts at egress. The telescope was then found to be perfectly steady. All arran- 
gements were completed and the telescope directed on the sun shortly before one o'clock, 
from which time until after the third contact Venus was kept in view, principally, by 
Mr. Payne, as I wished to rest my eyes as much as possible before making the observation. 
Observations of Third and Fourth Contacts. 
Time record from Murray chronometer No. 652. 
At shortly after 1h. 19m. Mr. Payne began counting seconds. The following is an 
exact copy of the record : 


Teal le RE 
“ Internal | 1 | 20 
contact 21 55 | x Light about to be broken. 
at 22 | x Blackness all the way across a second or two before this 
Heress. 23 | 
24 
| | 
“External | 1 | 40 | 
contact 41 | 
at 42 13 | x Last appearance of gap, approximate. 
Egress. 43 | 




“Rice grains just visible at third contact. Illumination poor. Extreme thin end of 
