414 TRANSIT OP VENUS, 1874. KERGUELEN ISLAND. OBSERVATORY BAY. 



A new set of wires was inserted on December 23. 



The intervals of the wires from the mean wire employed in the reduction 

 of imperfect transits are : 



From Nov. 15 

 to Dec. 22. 



From Dec. 23 

 to end. 



Wire I + 7. 41 'o 



,, II + 3. 5g-5 



,, III +o. 3-i 



,, IV -3.44-1 



,, V -7.59-7 



+ 7-49' 6 

 -f- 3. 52'o 

 + o. 3-9 

 -3. 4 5-2 

 8. o-o 



"When the wires were brought in succession, in the order above given, upon 

 the distant azimuth mark, the lamp being to the observer's right hand, the 

 circle-reading increased. In the same position of the instrument, the Moon 

 passed the wires in the same order. 



The Correction for Collimation is referred, for convenience, to the mean of 

 the wires. It has been deduced from all the observations of stars on the 

 five wires, as well as from those of the distant mark by the center wire only, 

 the results being given in Table I. No explanation can be given of the 

 systematic difference in the collimation corrections obtained by the two 

 methods,* nor of the sudden change on November 27. On that day 

 carpenters were employed in the hut for some alterations. 



The Error of Level of the horizontal axis was determined with a striding 



* The intervals of the wires from the center wire were determined with such accuracy that 

 some other reason for the discordance must exist. 



