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Dec. 14, 1882 | 
NATURE 
159 
upon the sun, and while it had notched the disc. The 
planet appeared to be surrounded by an annulus of 
reddish hue, and over the central parts there was diffused 
a patch of faint light. The region of the disc just within 
the margin was very black. These effects may, however, 
have been purely telescopic. I used a reflector of 4-inch 
aperture, with which the definition was not all that could 
be desired. There were very few of the ordinary sun-spots 
visible. A small irregular group lay slightly to the south- 
west of the centre, and another with much feculz, near 
the eastern limit, but they were of very insignificant cha- 
racter, and not at all comparable to some of the fine spots 
which have been recently visible on the solar surface. 
To an observer accustomed to the appearance of these 
objects, the view of Venus now in transit must have been 
of extreme interest, and he could not fail to be struck 
with the marked difference between the black circular 
disc of the planet, and the more irregular and far less 
intense forms of the ordinary sun spots. As the transit 
progressed, the sky continued clear, so that it could be 
watched until near sunset, but the telescopic view be- 
came less effective, owing to increasing atmospheric un- 
dulation, which, as usual with objects at low altitudes, 
greatly impaired the definition. W. F. DENNING 
Bristol, December 9 
SOME parts of the transit were well seen here. I used 
a 34 Merz refractor, power 60. The external contact was 
excellently seen. I watched for those peculiar pheno- 
mena (black drop, &c.) which have created so much 
interest, but was able to see nothing of them. At the 
moment of external contact, I had the point of impact in 
the centre of my field, and the planet indented the edge 
of the sun with a black and perfectly circular segment, 
disturbed only by the ‘‘ boiling” appearance characteristic 
of the solar edge. I watched the planet advance upon 
the sun to within, I guess, a few seconds of internal con- 
tact, when unfortunately the sun became obscured by a 
small cloud. At the time of observation, so near was 
internal contact, that I could every now and then see the 
boiling appearance of the solar edge peeping out from 
behind the black edge of the planet ; but no other dis- 
tortion of the planetary or solar edge was observable, 
except what arose from the “ boiling’ appearance 
referred to. D. TRAILL 
Raleigh Lodge, Exmouth, December 7 
THE transit of Venus was perfectly seen here yesterday. 
The sky was overcast quarter of an hour before, but the 
first and second contacts took place on a clear disk, and 
the first was almost instantly apparent with a hand glass. 
The sky remained clear till considerably past three. 
Considering the total failure in London and Paris, one 
could wish that some trained observers had selected our 
south coast. HENRY CECIL 
Bregner, Bournemouth, December 7 
P.S. As a consequence of popular ideas and anticipa- 
tions as to celestial phenomena having got “a little 
mixed ” lately, my gardener asked me this morning “ zf J 
saw the star fall into the sun yesterday.” —H. C. 
THE transit was seen here to great advantage, the day 
being exceptionally fine, the sun shining brightly from 
about 9°30 till sunset, with the exception of a few passing 
clouds at noon, and one small cloud obscuring the sun 
from 2.30 to 2.35 p.m. According to the times and posi- 
tions of the sun and planet, given in the Maztéical 
Almanack, 1 had made a diagram as correct as I could of 
the sun with the path of Venus across his disc; but if I 
had relied entirely upon the diagram I should have 
missed the place of external contact, as I found after- 
wards I had drawn the position of Venus considerably 
too high. To make sure of my object I depressed the 
telescope so as to keep as much of the sun as possible 
out of the field of view, and only allowing a portion of 
his limb to appear, and at 2h. 3m. 11s. I picked up Venus 
depicted against the sky, and just coming in contact with 
the sun’s limb. Her disc appeared a trifle paler than the 
background, and was surrounded with a very thin circle 
of light which appeared a little wider on that side 
furthest from the sun. It was this light which attracted 
my attention, and enabled me to identify the planet. At 
2h. 3m. 20s. the first zowch of Venus upon the sun’s limb 
took place. I now watched with much interest to see if 
it was possible to detect signs of an atmosphere to Venus 
—changing the eye-pieces. Sometimes I thought there 
were visible signs of it, but I would not say decidedly 
that it was so. I noted with some surprise that the 
planet appeared much smaller upon the sun than it did 
immediately previous to contact. At 2h. 23m. 31s. in- 
ternal contact took place. The planet appeared to pass 
clear off and away from the sun’s limb, without showing 
the least sign of a “‘black drop,” or any appearance of 
a lingering connection between her limb and that of the 
sun. The telescope used is an equatorial with driving- 
clock, silvered glass reflector 8}-inch diameter and 7 
feet focal length; eye-pieces ranging from 30 to 170 
of magnifying power. I took three photographs between 
2h. 35m. and 2.45, but the spring of my instantaneous 
shutter did not act as it should, and therefore the photo- 
graphs are not so good as I could wish, but Venus can be 
readily seen upon the sun’s image in the negative. 
Silverton, Devon, December 9 R. LANGDON 
NOTES 
THE following are the probable arrangements for the Friday 
evening meetings before Easter, 1883, at the Royal Institution :— 
January 19, R. Bosworth Smith, M.A., The Early Life of Lord 
Lawrence in India ; January 26, George J. Romanes, F.R.S., 
Recent Work on Starfishes; February 2, Sir William Thomson, 
F.R.S., The Size of Atoms ; February 9, Moncure D. Conway, 
M.A., Emerson and his Views of Nature; February 16, Prof. 
William C, Williamson, F.R.S., Some of the Anomalous Forms 
of Primzeval Vegetation ; February 23, Walter H. Pollock, M.A., 
Sir Francis Drake; March 2, C. Vernon Boys, A.R.S.M., 
Meters for Power and Electricity; March 9, Prof. George D. 
Liveing, F.R.S., The Ultra-Violet Spectra of the Elements ; 
March 16, Prof. Tyndall, F.R.S. 
Mr. H. O. Forses, on his return to Amboina from his first 
visit to Timor-laut, writes as follows :—‘‘ Extended movements 
were impossible, so that my botanical collections are not very 
extensive, but the ornithological and anthropological parts are 
very good. Iam now engaged in packing them up for despatch, 
and hope to send them off soon. My intention is to return to 
Timor-laut in a few days, if my health will permit, by the 
Government steamer which leaves for the Tenimber Islands. I 
shall settle in some more quiet spot than Ritabel. A full report 
on this interesting country shall be sent by next mail. One of 
the singular facts I observed is the immense herds of wild buffalo 
existing on the mainland of the island. They must have, of 
course been introduced, but by whom, and how long ago, is an 
interesting question. I wa; unable to get a specimen unfor- 
tunately. My wife, who accompanied me, aided me greatly, so 
that when I was down with fever (and the fever is of extreme 
severity) the work was still able to go on.” Mr. Forbes’ collec- 
tions will be consigned to the Committee of the British Associa- 
tion for the exploration of Timor-laut, as arranged when the 
expedition was determined on. 
Tue Accademia delle Scienze dell’ Istituto di Bologna has 
lately announced that a gold medal of the value of 1000 lire (say 
40/.) will be presented ‘‘to the author of that memoir which, 
proceeding on sure data either of Chemistry or of Physics, or of 
Applied Mechanics, will indicate new and efficacious practical 
systems, or new apparatus for the prevention, or extinction of 
fires.”” Memoirs must be written in Italian, Latin, or French, 
