REPORTS OF LIEUTENANT NOBLE AND ME. FLITNER. 63 



Whilst thus watching I was astonished to see, most distinctly, the disc of 

 the planet complete, and immediately asked Lieut. Shakspear what time 

 remained before contact. He said " a little over five minutes." 



There was an understanding between us about the Nautical Almanac time 

 being two minutes in error from the observed external contact. 



The Sun's limb was very steady, and the planet was quite circular, with 

 a bluish rim round it. 



The first time recorded at internal contact (20 h . 45 m . 43 s . by the altazimuth 

 clock) is that when the cusps had apparently joined. 



There was no black drop, no ligament, but a rough dark shade, which 

 gradually faded off to a thin tint, corresponding to the phenomenon I had 

 observed in the model. This instead of being nearly instantaneous, as the 

 model generally showed extended over some 20 seconds. 



The thin tint is that recorded as the second time (20 h . 46 m . 2 s .) at internal 

 contact. 



At the third recorded time (20 h . 46 . 22 s .) there was a broad band of light 

 between Venus and the Sun's limb, and contact was long past. 



The second- recorded time (20 h . 46 m . 2 s .) by the clock is that which I consider 

 as the time of contact, and am certain it could not have been later than this. 



E. J. W. NOBLE. 



The altazimuth clock used for Lieut. Noble's observations (see Table VI.) 

 was 3O90 seconds slow on Honolulu sidereal time at the time of internal 

 contact. Assuming the longitude 10 U . 31 m . 27 S> 3 west, we have the following 

 equation corresponding to his recorded time, 20 h . 46 m . 2 s . 



Gr. Sid. Time. 



7 h . i8 m .o s -2, 7"-83 = -2284 n + -6532 8 R.A. 7061 8 N.P.D. "-0340 8 t *R+ Sr 



MR. FLITNER'S OBSERVATION OF THE INGRESS OP Venus, 1874, DECEMBER 8, at 



WAIAKIKI, NEAR HONOLULU. 



Mr. Flitner kindly communicated to me, orally, the following circumstances, 

 which I committed to writing in his presence. 



He observed the ingress of Venus, from the garden of Captain Smith's 

 house at Waiakiki, with an achromatic of 2|- or 2^ inches aperture on an 

 ordinary " pillar and claw " stand, furnished with a negative eye-piece of 

 power of 80 to 100 and a dark glass which screwed on at the eye-end for 

 viewing the sun directly. He used a pocket chronometer of large size and 

 showing seconds, which he compared with his standard clock at Honolulu on 



