40 Transactions. — MisceUaneoiis. 



determined the possibility of any transit in our autumn of tliis 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 AustraUa 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 Eoyal sent me a telegram on February 22 to have the sun's 

 disc 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 

 disc, so that, as far as this portion of the southern hemisphere is concerned, 

 this matter can 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 Austraha 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 calculations made, the transit of this 

 planet across the sun's disc might take about four hours, Ave 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 which Vulcan might have passed over the sun's 

 disc 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 systematic watch 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 disc, 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 a 



