THE COMING TRANSIT OF VENUS. 37 



arrangements, Possession Island might be taken as a 

 station without any great additional expense. 



The transit begins earliest at a place in north lati- 

 tude 39 45', and west longitude 143 23'. Woahoo 

 has been selected as a suitable station near this spot ; 

 and in fact the transit begins more than 1 1 minutes 

 early at Woahoo, while the sun has an elevation at the 

 time of about 20 degrees. Nothing could be more 

 suitable than the station selected by England in this 

 neighbourhood. France takes the Marquesas, while 

 Russia has a station near the mouth of the Amoor 

 River. 



The transit begins latest at a place in 44 27' south 

 latitude, and 26 27' east longitude. The best station 

 hereabout is Crozet Island, so far as astronomical con- 

 ditions are concerned ; but bad weather very commonly 

 prevails here. England will send an observing party 

 to Kerguelen's Land, and will also occupy the Mau- 

 ritius and Rodriguez Island, which are not so well 

 placed ; since the transit begins 12 J minutes late 

 at Crozet, 11 \ minutes late at Kerguelen, only 10 \ 

 minutes late at Mauritius, and only 10 minutes late at 

 Rodriguez. The party at Mauritius will be that which 

 Lord Lindsay is preparing at his own expense ; and it 

 will be amply provided with all that is required for the 

 purposes of exact observation. Why should not the 

 Government expedition to Rodriguez be given up ? 

 Its cost will certainly not be well repaid, since the cir- 

 'cumstances of the transit at Mauritius and Rodriguez 

 are almost identical ; and if the money thus saved were 



