2 Mr. W. H. M. Christie and Prof. H. H. Turner. 



It was originally proposed that Dr. A. A. Common, F.R.S., should 

 also take part in this expedition, but he ultimately found that he 

 was unable to do so, and Dr. Copeland, Astronomer Royal for Scot- 

 land, was invited by the J.P.E. Committee to go in his place. Dr. 

 Copeland preferred, however, not to join any of the three other 

 expeditions, but to establish himself independently. 



3. Itinerary. The observers left Marseilles in the Peninsular and 

 Oriental steamship "Ballaarat" (R.M.S.), on Thursday morning, 

 December 16, 1897, their instruments having been put on board 

 this vessel in London ten days earlier. They arrived at Bombay on 

 Monday morning, January 3, 1898, the weather during the voyage 

 being excellent. After a few days spent in landing the instruments 

 and arranging for their journey to Sahdol, they left Bombay on 

 Friday evening, January 7, travelling direct to Sahdol by special 

 arrangements courteously made by the G.I. P.. East Indian, and 

 Bengal and Nagpur Railways, and arrived at Sahdol in the early 

 morning of Sunday, January 9. 



4. Selection of a Station. The J.P.E. Committee originally pro- 

 posed for this expedition a station south of Poona, either near Karad 

 on the S. Maratha Railway or near Jeur on the G.I. P. Railway, 

 other expeditions occupying stations near Viziadrug on the coast, 

 and Pulgaon on the Nagpur branch of the G.I. P. Railway. 



The Surveyor- General of India having offered to give every 

 assistance to the expeditions, appointed Major Burrard, R.E., to 

 make all necessary arrangements, including the determination of 

 exact local time and of the longitude and latitude of the station. 

 Major Burrard selected Karad, in the Satara district, as the best 

 station. Owing, however, to the outbreak of plague at that place, 

 and its prevalence in the Bombay Presidency, it was finally decided, 

 on the advice of the Bombay .Government, to abandon this choice 

 and to occupy a station at Sahdol, on the railway to the east of 

 Pulgaon, connecting Katni and Bilaspur. As this site was in dense 

 jungle, it was necessary to clear a considerable space for the camp, 

 part of which was to be occupied by a party under Mr. Michie 

 Smith, Government Astronomer at Madras. This clearing, the 

 establishment of the camp, and the erection of piers and huts for 

 the instruments and of a dark room for photography, were all 

 admirably carried out by Major Burrard, R.E., and his assistant, 

 Lieutenant Crosthwait, R.E., before the arrival of the observers, 

 who thus found everything ready for the setting up of their instru- 

 ments. 



5. Position of Station. The observing station was about three- 

 quarters of a mile from the railway station, on the south side of 

 the line. The position of the centre of the pier on which the 

 celostat used by the Astronomer Royal was mounted is 



