40 Transactions, — Miscellaneous. 
determined the possibility of any transit in our autumn of this year, Le 
Verrier came to the conclusion that a transit may be expected on the 22nd 
of last month, requesting astronomers all over the world to watch for such 
an important event. Should (unfortunately as far as Australia and New 
Zealand is concerned) no transit occur on that day, none can be expected 
before our autumn of 1885. A transit for the opposite nodes (September 
and October) cannot take place before 1881. 
It was, without doubt, with a view to obtain an observation of this 
expected planet on and near the day calculated by Le Verrier, that the 
Astronomer Royal sent me a telegram on February 22 to have the sun's 
dise closely watched on March 21, 22, and 23. And I was much gratified 
to learn that both in Wellington and Dunedin a close watch has also been 
kept, which, however, like the observations taken in Christchurch, had not 
the desired result. Moreover, the telegraph brought us the news from 
Sydney that also, there, nothing unusual had been observed on the sun’s 
dise, so that, as far as this portion of the southern hemisphere is concerned, 
this matter ean be considered as being settled. However, before we have 
any news from Europe and America this negative result does not prove that 
the planet has not been in conjunction with the sun. 
The observations in Australia and New Zealand from sunrise to sunset, 
taking into consideration the difference in longitude, would range over 
thirteen hours, having also allowed the loss of half-an-hour each morning 
and evening. Now as, according to ealeulations made, the transit of this 
planet across the sun's dise might take about four hours, we can add even 
three hours for the morning and evening to our time, as in New Zealand 
the egress in the morning, and in Australia the ingress in the evening, 
would have been observed, had the beginning or end of the transit taken 
place within the hours of observation at any of these countries. . This would 
give us about nineteen hours, and consequently there remain about five 
hours each night during whieh Vulean might have passed over the sun's 
dise at our antipodes. 
The observations in Christchurch were made in the private observatory 
of our member, Mr. James Townsend. This gentleman was assisted by his 
brother, Mr. William Townsend, and by Professor Cook, Dr. Powell, and 
myself. A systematie wateh was instituted throughout the days of March 
21, 22, and 23, for the purpose of observing the face of the sun to detect the 
appearance of, and passage across, his dise, and also for the measurement 
and noting the position of any object which might by any probability be a 
planet, and not an ordinary sun-spot. Although not possessing a photo- 
heliograph, the appliances would have sufficed for the purpose should the 
almost expected stranger have put in an appearance, They consisted of à 
