XIV 



2Gth, 1875, when the supply of provisions ran short, and it was not 

 deemed prudent to stay longer. The passage to Durban was very 

 rough, the " Volage " being overtaken by a cyclone and sometimes 

 rolling 45. Besides the observations of the transit, magnetic obser- 

 vations were made at the Cape, Kerguelen, Bombay, Aden, Port Said, 

 Malta, Palermo, Rome, Naples, Florence, and Moncalieri ; and on his 

 return to England Father Perry gave an account of his work in a 

 lecture at the Royal Institution. 



In 1882 he again took charge of a Transit of Venns Expedition, 

 this time being stationed in Madagascar, and accompanied by Father 

 feidgreaves and Mr. Carlisle, his former assistant in Belgium. The 

 party reached their destination on October 22nd, in H.M.S. " Fawn." 

 Again the results obtained were incomplete, wind and sand-storms 

 interfering with the work, but some very good observations were 

 made notwithstanding these difficulties. At the eclipse of August 

 29th, 1886, Father Perry accompanied the expedition to the West 

 Indies, and was stationed at Carriacou. His spectroscopic observa- 

 tions were communicated to the Royal Society, and published in the 

 ' Philosophical Transactions.' 



In 1887 he was one of the observers sent by the Royal Astronomical 

 Society, at the request of Professor Bredichin, to Pogost, on the 

 Volga ; but the sky was cloudy and no results were obtained. 



Father Perry was again, in 1889, placed in command of an expedi- 

 tion sent by the Royal Astronomical Society, to the Isles de Salut, 

 off French Cayenne, to photograph the corona during the eclipse of 

 December 22nd. He aud his assistant, Mr. Rooney, reached Barba- 

 does on November 26th, and arrived at his station on December 7th, 

 after a trying voyage from Barbadoes, in H.M.S. " Comus," during 

 which Father Perry suffered severely. Every assistance was afforded 

 by the French Commander, and by the officers and crews of H.M.SS. 

 " Comus " and " Forward '' during the preliminary arrangements, hut 

 the necessary adjustments required exposure to the unhealthy night 

 air, and this so told upon Father Perry, in his already weakened 

 state, that on the day before the eclipse he was very ill indeed from 

 dysentery ; so ill that it was feared that he would be unable to take 

 part in the observations of the eclipse. However, by a tremendous 

 effort he overcame his pain and weakness sufficiently to successfully 

 carry out all the instructions he had received, but, exhausted by this 

 great effort, he became dangerously ill after the excitement which 

 had sustained him was over, and was taken on board the " Comus." 

 On December 26th he was slightly better, but, a relapse occurred and 

 Father Perry died at 4.30 P.M., on December 27th. His body was 

 interred in the Catholic Cemetery at Demerara, on December 28th. 



Father Perry was a very popular and able lecturer. On several 

 occasions he has lectured at the Royal Institution, the last time, a, 



