366 TRANSIT OF VENUS, 1874. RODRIGUEZ. POINT VENUS. 



(Dent 2014), with pendulum rod of wood, accompanied the instrument, and 

 was mounted in the Equatoreal hut. 



The following is Lieutenant Neate's Report of the observations. 



OBSERVATIONS OF INGRESS. 



For several days previous to the transit I practised observing the Sun 

 with the Equatoreal, and established the focal adjustment as accurately as 

 I could. On two mornings also I observed the Sun under conditions exactly 

 similar to those which I anticipated for the actual transit. On the morning 

 of December 9, a little before sunrise, I prepared the Equatoreal hut, tried 

 all the eye-pieces and double-image micrometer in the instrument, tested the 

 driving clocks for the last time, and assured myself generally that all was 

 ready. By the kind permission of Mr. Bell, the resident magistrate, the 

 observatory was surrounded by policemen, and no one was allowed to 

 approach. My assistant on the occasion was Navigating Lieutenant 

 Hammond, of H.M.S. Shearwater, who sat at a table in the Equatoreal hut, 

 and wrote from my dictation in copying ink. 



Half an hour before the first phenomenon I compared the Equatorial Clock 

 with the Transit Clock. 



The sky was unusually clear of clouds, and the heat of the Sun made itself 

 felt very soon. 



I did not see the planet till it had (apparently) broken into the Sun's limb. 

 Instantly when I saw the notch on the Sun's limb I also saw the remaining 

 segment of the planet showing in strong relief against the dark space beyond, 

 and surrounded by an exceedingly faint annular haze. The following limb of 

 the planet also appeared bright, like a very young moon. This appearance 

 I have attempted to show in Fig. 1, Plate XIII. I used an Airy eye-piece, 

 power 152, for the observation of all phenomena. The dark glass I used was 

 a neutral tint achromatised wedge. The first phenomenon recorded by me 

 was that of Circular or apparent Contact at ll h . 51 m . 24 s '5 by the Equatorial 

 Clock, as shown in Fig. 2. The formation of a dark ligament between the 

 limbs of the Sun and Venus followed instantaneously. It was as if, after 

 Circular Contact, a piece of Venus was being drawn out by the Sun. 



The breadth of this ligament was apparently one-fourth (approximately) of 

 Venus' diameter. 



The next phenomenon noted by me was the change of colour in the 

 ligament, which at IP. 51 m . 51 s 5 became a light-greyish brown. The change 



