244 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
two of the islands and directly from the open sea, the monotonnus roar of whose 
surf was incessantly heard. The nearly full moon was overheard and the long 
fronds of the cocoa palms made grotesque shadows on the level ground. Occa- 
sionally there would be heard the shrill cry of some sea-bird flying over, and 
other than this and the roar of the breakers, there was nothing to disturb the 
quiet and rest which came as a fitting conclusion to our restless month at sea. 
During the 2 2d or April the Hartford remained by the island, and a force of 
carpenters and bricklayers proceeded rapidly with the construction of our observ- 
atories. By night-time the observatories belonging to myself. Dr. Hastings, and 
Mr. Preston were up, and piers of brick or wood completed. The brick piers of 
the English party were well under way, and were completed on the 23d by Mr, 
Wood, who thus added a new profession to his former acquirements. 
The Hartford sailed at 6 P. M. of the 2 2d for Tahiti, and some of us went 
to the ocean reef to see her off. Besides her lights we saw those of L'Eclaireur, 
the man-of-war which was bringing the French eclipse expedition. Early on the 
morning of the 23d I met the maitre d' equipage of the L'Eclaireur on the reef 
and gave him such information as to the landing, etc., as I was sure would be of 
use. Shortly after this the French party came on shore for the day, and the 
morning was spent in aiding them to select a site for their observations, etc. 
This party consisted of M. Jansen, director of the Observatory of Astronomical 
Physics of Meudon ; M. Trouvelot, assistant at the Meudon Observatory; M. 
Pasteur, photographer of the Meudon Observatory. These gentlemen were 
accompanied by M. Tachini, director of the Observatory of the Roman College ; 
M. Palisa, astronomer of the Imperial Observatory of Vienna. Besides these 
astronomers there were seventeen of the crew of L'Eclaireur left on shore, mak- 
ing the French party twenty-two in number. Thus the total population of the 
island was fifty-one in all, including natives. Our relations with the gentlemen 
of the French expedition were throughout of the most cordial character. So far 
as our researches lay in the same direction, we worked together to a common 
■end. It was a pleasure to us to be able to extend to them what aid was possible, 
and to receive the same in return. 
During the remaining days of April everything was making progress toward 
complete readiness for observations of the eclipse. The observatory of Dr. Hast- 
ings and my own were completed by April 27, and each of us used a six-inch 
equatorial for some hours each night in an examination of the southern sky. 
During the course of this we detected some new doubles and red stars, a list of 
which is given later. 
The vision was not especially good, and comparatively few hours were given 
to telescopic work, owing to the impossibility of obtaining a quiet sleep during 
the day. Still new double stars were found. This shows that if a suitable tele- 
scope were to be used in a favorable place in the southern hemisphere, at Quito 
or Santiago for example, a great number of new objects could be catalogued in a 
comparatively short time. It appears to me that this expedition is worth making. 
Immediately after the eclipse we commenced preparations for departure. These 
