1875.] The Late Transit of Venus. 175 
This points to a disturbed condition of the air, which would 
render all the observations unsatisfactory. One hundred 
and twenty micrometric measurements were made at this 
station; but if the cusps were affected by a disturbed atmo- 
sphere, it is to be feared that little reliance can be placed on 
them. 
If the observations made in the Sandwich Isles should 
prove to be unsatisfactory, the only observations of ingress 
to be depended upon are those made at stations outside the 
region B m D, in Japan, North China, and the adjacent part 
of Siberia. At Port Possiet and Wladiwostock, near the 
western shores of the Sea of Japan, the ingress was well 
seen by Russian and American observers ; but the 
acceleration there only amounted to about 6} minutes, 
whereas at the Sandwich Isles it amounted to 11 minutes. 
From Yokohama and Nagasaki, the news which has hitherto 
arrived has been somewhat confused. First, news arrived 
that the Americans had been partially successful at Naga- 
saki, but had been troubled by clouds; next we heard from 
Nagasaki that the French, under Janssen, who had intended 
to observe at Yokohama, had been successful, presumably at 
Nagasaki. Then a telegram arrived correcting the Nagasaki 
date for Yokohama; and a writer in the ‘‘ Times” seems to 
have regarded this as signifying that the French had 
observed at Nagasaki instead of Yokohama; but, possibly, 
what was really meant was that the French observed at 
Yokohama, though the telegram came from Nagasaki. 
Next news came from Yokohama through* an Austrian 
source, that good observations had been made there, which 
the ‘‘Times” interpreted as meaning that an Austrian 
party had been stationed there, though until then nothing 
had been heard of sucha party. Lastly, Janssen telegraphed 
that good observations had been made at Nagasaki and 
Kode. It seems probable, as I have remarked in the 
“Observer,” that in reality one series of good observations 
was effected at Yokohama by the French under Janssen, and 
another at Kode; that the news was forwarded through 
Nagasaki, and that the Austrian news relates to the success 
at Yokohama, while Janssen’s later telegram about observa- 
tions at Nagasaki may relate to the work of a subordinate 
party. My reason for so interpreting the telegrams is that 
the Russians announced complete success at Yokohama, 
while the Americans announced only a partial success at 
Nagasaki; now the French party under Janssen achieved 
full success, which implies that they were at the station 
favoured with the better weather. 
VOL. V. (N.S.) Z 
