COMMITTEES ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT 257 



" The arrangements necessary to secure the successful observation of the transit 

 of Venus, which will occur on December 8, 1874, have begun to receive the atten- 

 tion of the observatory. 



" It is essential to the complete success of these observations that the various 

 parties which may be sent out by the Government should make tlieir observations 

 on a uniform and carefully prepared plan. 



" The Superintendent of the Observatory has been invited to become a member 

 of a committee of the National Academy of Sciences, appointed to devise such a 

 plan. The functions of the Academy being purely advisory, and it being expected 

 that the cooperation and assistance of the ablest astronomers of the country would 

 be secured by this committee, the invitation was accepted. 



" Although this committee has not yet met, certain experiments and trials with 

 the apparatus and instruments of observation are necessary in any case. As many 

 experiments and many alterations of apparatus, all requiring time and careful 

 consideration, may be necessary, the small appropriation of $3,000, for instruments 

 and apparatus, is called for." '^ 



In the Sundry Civil Act for the fiscal year 1872, approved 

 March 3, 1871, Congress made an initial appropriation for the 

 expenses of observing the transit, but reduced the amount pro- 

 posed by the Secretary to $2,000." 



For some reason which is not apparent the committee of the 

 Academy was increased in April, 1871, by the addition of five 

 new members, namely, L. M. Rutherfurd, J. C. Watson, Simon 

 Newcomb, J. H. C. Coffin, and F. A. P. Barnard. 



The following year (1872) Rear-Admiral Sands, Superin- 

 tendent of the Naval Observatory, reported thus: 



" At the last session of Congress an appropriation was made for the purchase of 

 instruments for the proper observation of the transit of Venus in 1874, to be 

 expended under the direction of a commission, to be composed of the Superin- 

 tendent and two Professors of the Naval Observatory, the President of the 

 National Academy of Sciences, and the Superintendent of the United States Coast 



"Rep. Secr. Navy for 1870, p. 46. 



'"The item in the Sundry Civil Act is as follows: 



"For preparing instruments for observation of transit of Venus, two thousand dollars; 

 Provided, -That this and all other appropriations made for the observations of the transits 

 of Venus shall be expended, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Navy, under the 

 direction of a commission to be composed of the superintendent and two of the professors 

 of mathematics of the navy attached to the Naval Observatory, the president of the 

 National Academy of Sciences, and the superintendent of the coast survey, for which services 

 they shall not receive any compensation." Stat, at Large, vol. 16, 1871, p. 529, 41st Congress, 

 3d Session, chap. 117, 1871. 



