NEATE'S OBSERVATION OF THE TRANSIT. 367 



was apparently very rapid and well-defined. I have noted it to a fraction of 

 a second. In Fig. 3 I have attempted to show this second phenomenon noted 

 by me, but the ligament appears broader than it should be. The definition 

 during these phenomena was exceedingly good, but the conditions changed 

 very rapidly, and the Sun's limb began to boil considerably, so much so that, 

 although I placed the double-image micrometer in the telescope as soon as 

 the planet had left the Sun's limb, I only secured two measurements of 

 distances of limbs, which are not recorded here, as the definition of the planet 

 was extremely bad, and the micrometer-zero was uncertain. I, however, 

 noticed that the following limb of the planet was apparently illumined, 

 partaking somewhat of the appearance it had when outside the Sun ; this 

 lasted for nearly five minutes after the planet had completely entered on 

 the Sun. 



I now proceeded to compare the Equatorial and Transit Clocks. I also 

 compared the Transit and Altazimuth Clocks. The heat in the Equatoreal 

 hut very soon became so great that I was unable to sit at the telescope, the 

 Thermometer in the hut (but shaded) standing at 115 Fahrenheit. I was 

 very nearly having a sunstroke, and was obliged to lie down for an hour. 

 Shortly before the phenomenon of Egress I again compared the Transit, 

 Equatorial, and Altazimuth Clocks, and then placed myself at the telescope. 

 The definition was now bad, the atmosphere appearing very disturbed ; but 

 about ten minutes before the second Internal Contact a big cloud passed 

 across the Sun, and slightly cooled the atmosphere, and the definition was 

 improved. The proximity of clouds, however, deterred me from using 

 the double-image micrometer for measuring distances of limbs ; nothing, 

 however, interfered with my observations of Contact and accompanying 

 phenomena. 



The first phenomenon noticed by me at Egress was the formation of a 

 brown haze between the two limbs ; and in spite of the apparent dancing of 

 the limb of Venus and the boiling of the Sun's limb, this formation appeared 

 instantaneously at 15 h . 21 m . 27 s '2, and in appearance it resembled closely 

 what I had seen at Ingress in the second noted phenomenon. In Fig. 1 at 

 Egress I seemed to see a repetition of Fig. 3 at Ingress, with the difference 

 of inferior definition at Egress. The ligament gradually deepened in colour 

 (maintaining the same breadth) till Internal Contact (Fig. 2, Egress) was 

 formed at 15 h . 22 m . 24 s 8. This phenomenon was fairly well-defined, although 



