vi TRANSIT OF VENUS, 1874. 



the Results of the Observations, &c. might be expected to be laid before 

 Parliament. In consequence of this, every effort was made by Captain 

 Tupman to accelerate partial reductions and to combine the results ; and a 

 Return was made to the House of Commons, dated 16th July 1877, and was 

 ordered for printing on the same day. The substance of this Report, as 

 regards observations, &c. is entirely included in the details of the present 

 volume. 



In the meantime the affairs of the Transit of Venus were in great difficulty. 

 Captain Tupman, with scarcely any assistance, was occupied with the vast 

 mass of reductions. The Government, probably remarking the excess of 

 expenditure above estimate, refused to sanction his stipend beyond 1878, 

 March 31. Captain Tupman then addressed to me the following letter : 



" 1877, November 7. 



" I cannot allow a mere pecuniary consideration to prevent me finishing off 

 properly the work I have had so much to do with. The Lords of the 

 Admiralty will allow me to remain under you as long as you please, although 

 they cannot grant special salaries. 



" Perhaps things will be nearly completed by the end of March 1878. I 

 hope to see the work through the press, and all the books and stores left in 

 first-rate order. 



" G. L. TUPMAN." 



This determination of Captain Tupman was repeated on 1878, March 16. 



"With the assistance of one computer (whose salary was paid by myself for 

 a long time, but was ultimately reimbursed to me) Captain Tupman 

 continued his work gratuitously, examining severely every step of the 

 observers' computations, and more especially all that related to instrumental 

 adjustments. Never, perhaps, was such an enormous mass of calculations so 

 severely criticized, and, where necessary, repeated ; but it lasted much longer 

 than had been anticipated. The authority of the Government had been 

 received for printing the results ; and this, on the scale adopted by Captain 

 Tupman, added greatly to his labour. However, in the autumn of 1880 

 Captain Tupman, then about to quit the country, presented me with the 

 calculations and portions of introductions for each station, and with the 

 printed sheets for the observation-districts of the Sandwich or Hawaiian 

 Islands and Egypt. Though anticipating for myself a heavy addition to 

 the labours of an office already sufficiently oppressive, I could but feel 

 grateful to Captain Tupman for the disinterested zeal I may call it heroic 

 with which he had laboured to bring the work to that point. 



