484 TRANSIT OF VENUS,' 1874. NEW ZEALAND. BURNHAM. 



CONNEXION OF THE ASTRONOMICAL STATION WITH THE TELEGRAPH. 



Omitting many points of arrangement, one which is most important 

 requires to be noticed. "Wires were led from the Burnham telegraph office 

 to the Observatory station, and thus the Observatory was placed in com- 

 munication with every part of the islands at which co-operation in observation 

 could be expected, and also with the American Observatory at Queenstown. 

 Major Palmer also states that he was enabled to measure differences of 

 longitude with Queenstown, Dunedin, Wellington, and Auckland, and to give 

 time to the French war ship Vire, thus making connexion with the French 

 transit party at Campbell Island. 



ARRANGEMENTS FOR OBSERVATIONS AT FIVE ADDITIONAL STATIONS, AND 



GENERAL FAILURE. 



Major Palmer finally made the following arrangements for observation at 

 multiple stations: Lieutenant Crawford was despatched to Naseby, in 

 Otago, to establish a complete observatory. (I believe it was owing to this 

 circumstance that the number of altazimuth-observations for longitude at 

 Burnham is smaller than I had expected.) Stations at Grahamstown, 

 Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin were manned by private residents, 

 Mr. H. A. Severn, Mr. T. Heale, Archdeacon Stock with Dr. Hector,* and 

 Mr. J. J. Thomson with Mr. J. Mackerrow ; who placed themselves under 

 the orders of Major Palmer, and used instruments their private property. 

 This line of stations extended over 750 miles. 



Assistance was given at the Burnham Observatory by Lieutenant Herbert 

 Praed, E.N. 



Among many detailed preparations for the transit, one was the issue of a 

 circular to the owners and occupiers of land within a radius of three miles 

 from Burnham, requesting them to guard against burning grass after 

 December 1, and to keep a watch against fire on the days near December 9. 

 These requests received universal compliance. 



The preparations appear to have been very complete. 



Unfortunately, the state of the weather caused an almost total failure. 

 At Burnham the partially-imperfect observations to be detailed hereafter 

 were made, but not a single observation was made at the other stations. 



Allusion is made by Major Palmer to telegraphic time-signals with the 

 American observers at Queenstown, but I am not aware that there is any 

 detail of them in the papers which have reached me. [G. B. A.] 



