333 



OBSERVATIONS AT SUEZ. 



EXTRACT from a LETTER from Mr. S. HUNTER to the ASTRONOMER ROYAL 



(continued from page 322). 



SUEZ was reached late on the evening of the 26th November. The next 

 morning I examined the site occupied by Mr. Gill, of Lord Lindsay's 

 Expedition,* and rode round the town. Mr. Gill's site was situated in 

 the lowest part of the town, surrounded by buildings, with the greater 

 portion of the town between it and the Eastern and Southern horizon (as 

 it is on the north-western side of Suez), so that the smoke and heated 

 air from the buildings would most probably prevent definition when the 

 Sun was so low as at the time of transit ; besides, the Sun would be 

 hidden by the buildings until 10 or 15 high. I found a small artificial 

 platform about 40 feet high, on which the Khedive's Chalet is built, situated 

 on the north side of Suez among the debris of the ancient Arsinoe, which 

 had a clear Eastern and Southern horizon, free from intrusion and from 

 smoke. The only defect arose from the looseness of the soil, causing the 

 level readings to vary a good deal. 



The day being Friday, the Mahometan Sunday, I could not prevail on the 

 Consul to call on the Governor of Suez that day, in order to obtain permission 

 to erect my hut and instruments at the Chalet ; but next day we called about 

 ten o'clock, and obtained the necessary permission, and a guard of soldiers to 

 prevent intrusion. Before night I had all my cases on the platform, the 

 equatorial pier built, and the hut erected, and on the 30th commenced obser- 

 vations with the transit instrument. I got a telegraph line erected from 

 my hut to the office of the Eastern Telegraph Company in Suez, and had 

 comparisons with Mokattam on December 4, 5, 7, and 14. 



Observing with the transit instrument and reducing the observations, 

 erecting and adjusting the Equatorial, together with the telegraphic com- 

 parisons, fully occupied my time until the time of the Transit of Venus. On 

 several mornings preceding I observed the Sun rise (to test my Equatorial, 

 driving clock, &c.), but to my astonishment I could not get the Sun's image 



* Suez was the starting point of Lord Lindsay's chronometric expedition, connecting Suoz, 

 Mauritius, Rodriguez, and Aden. Lord Lindsay afterwards determined the difference of longitude 

 between the points occupied by Mr. Gill and Mr. Hunter, thus completing the chain from Greenwich 

 to Aden. 



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