98 F. L. BLAKE: REPORT OF OBSERVATIONS AT OTTAWA. 
Towards internal contact clouds began to pass over the sun hiding it completely at 
times. Just before internal contact caught a glimpse of the sun through a break in the 
cloud which lasted long enough to catch the contact. No black drop observed. Bright 
cusps of sun met at 8" 54™ 51. The sun became obscured 8" 55" 08, during which 
interval of 17 seconds the band of light between the limbs of Venus and the sun 
broadened considerably. The time, 8" 54™ 51° was last time of appearance of discon- 
tinuity in the illumination of apparent limb of sun. 
Clouds again gathered thickly and snow began to fall. Snow-storm continued with- 
out intermission up to 2" 5" when the clouds began to clear off in the South-east. At 2" 
12", the sky was perfectly clear in the South and West, and the Sun began to peep out, when 
Venus was observed approaching contact at egress being then about half its own diameter 
from limb of sun. Mr. Webber commenced to count at 2" 16"; at 2" 17" 19, slight 
fading in light was observed near point of contact, which gradually increased until 2” 18" 
00°; when contact was observed by first appearance of blackness like that of the 
planet and the bright cusps began to recede. 
No black drops or distortion of the limb of Venus was observed although the edge of 
the sun was boiling just a little. 
I used an illumination about midway between total darkneess and brightness that the 
eye could just bear. When the planet was half-way off the sun, I thought I could faintly 
discern the limb of the sun, but could not be sure of it. 
I again exchanged time with the Toronto Observatory on the evening of the day of 
Transit. A set of transits were taken at the observatory at Nepean Point on December 
Ist and 7th, by Captain E. Deville, Chief Inspector of Surveys, and on the 3rd of December 
by myself. 
