18 National Geographie Magazine. 
matic method, in use on land lines, then with the Funchal chro- 
nometer over the cable using the mirror galvanometer. Finally a 
second automatic comparison was made with Lisbon. From the 
data furnished by these comparisons it was an easy matter to com- 
pute the difference between the chronometers at Lisbon and. 
Funchal. The Lisbon party had been received with great 
courtesy by the director of the Royal Observatory, Capt. Oom of 
the Portuguese Navy, and had been given the use of a small 
detached observatory near the main building. The party at 
Funchal selected a site on the ramparts of an old fort, which 
afforded a clear view and was near the landing place of the cable. 
Here occurred an accident to the transit instrument, which fortu- 
nately was easily remedied. Near the beginning of the observa- 
tions on the first night the wind, which was blowing almost a 
gale, lifted a part of the roof off the observatory, and dropped 
one section of it inside. The transit was knocked off the pier, 
and was at first thought to be much injured. Fortunately the 
precaution had been taken to bring along a couple of spare instru- 
ments, borrowed from the Transit of Venus Commission for use 
in case of such an accident. The Funchal party was provided 
with one of these, which was set up for use by the next night, 
and the injured one was sent to Lisbon for repairs. The injury 
proved to be less than supposed and the repairing was an easy 
matter. Upon the completion of this measurement the Lisbon 
party proceeded to St. Vincent one of the Cape de Verde 
Islands. This is a barren and desolate spot of volcanic forma- 
tion, but being on the route of steamers from Europe to Africa. 
and South America is of much importance as a coaling station. 
Measurements were made from this point to Funchal and to Per- 
nambuco in Brazil, and the Guard then sailed for Rio Janeiro. 
Upon arriving at that point after a long passage, it was found 
that the cable between Rio and Pernambuco was broken, and 
there being no immediate prospect of its being repaired, the Per- 
nambuco party was ordered by mail steamer to Rio, and thence 
to Montevideo. A measurement was made between Rio and 
Montevideo and then between the latter place and Buenos Ayres, 
Lieut. Com. Green occupying the Montevideo station for that pur- 
pose. The position of the observatory at Buenos Ayres was 
referred to that occupied by Dr. B. A. Gould, Director of the 
Argentine National Observatory, in a similar measurement a short 
time before between that place and Cordova. 
